Are Bengals Active?
Stories from Bengal Owners in their own words as they wrote it, not edited.
From a member on Bengals-L:
2 hours in the life of Peter the Great, a 6-mo. old, neutered SLPM Bengal boy:
1) Climb the screen doors to the patio. Get stuck and scream until rescued.
2) Jump up onto kitchen counter (strictly forbidden) and knock over a vase full of fresh flowers. Scatter the flower petals all over the kitchen.
3) Wrestle your big sister down 2 carpeted flights of stairs, then race back up to start over.
4) Climb to the top of the cat tree, and chase your tail for 10 solid minutes, tumbling off periodically.
5) Jump onto the kitchen table (also forbidden), stuff your head through the handles of a plastic shopping bag, then run screaming across the house till your owner can catch you and save you from yourself.
6) Make a trip to the emergency vet to get your paw treated for torn out rear claw. Snicker while your owner tries to figure out which of the previous 5 activities helped cause this injury.
Admittedly, Petey did not inherit the Bengal intelligence genes, and this was an exceptionally trying day. At the age of 3.5, he's finally calming down a little.
From Janet Saltzman:
Chase is a daily or nightly sport with my three adult bengals. One starts the game and the others fall in. I have an open concept house so there is a lot of area involved in the game. I have a child's PlayHut tunnel in a hallway, they usually start there, then getting up top speed, through the foyer knocking the area rug either in the livingroom or hallway depending on which way they are going. Then through the livingroom where there are several cat tunnels including a 3-way one, across the couch and loveseat (that of course is a detached pillowback), knocking pillows everywhich way. Then up the 8' cat tree, the two with claws climb, the one without, jumps from level to level, up to the loft. Either down the very small spiral stairs or cat tree, through the kitchen, some around the island, others under the chairs and barstools, into the computer room, where they can then start over. I have wood planks in the foyer (thank goodness the! y are rough textured) that get gouges in
them from those with claws, but a quick touch of brown marker helps. My boy Sam like to walk on the railings either up in the loft or in the livingroom going to the basement. These are 2 x 6's set edgewise. He walks 12 feet above us, stops, turns around and walks back. My new guy who is declawed (poor baby) decided that looked like fun and also tried after watching Sam. He slipped, but caught himself, and then jumped off, thankfully on the short side. He has also fallen off the top of the 8' cat tree when they were playing king of the mountain. I've had lamps knocked over (none broke), don't do many knick knacks anymore and before I knew I was going to live with 3 bengals (actually 4, the baby is still in isolation), bought glass top tables. With all the litter dust and sweaty big bengal feet, I have table tops that need cleaning all the time. I feel blessed however, I have a ceiling fan high in the cathedral ceiling tha! t I know they have plotted some way of jumping to, but
so far no one has made it. Would we ever be without our daily or nightly entertainment - NO WAY!
Janet & Jr. plus Samir, Ashish, Mohan, and Sohne
From Lavon Fabian:
Active -- Hmmmmmm--- how do I begin ???
The difference in "Bengal active" and "regular domestic short hair
active" is sort of like the difference in a hamster on an exercise
wheel -- and a PILLOW!
My 4 "active" bengals, open doors, climb to the tops of cabinets,
curio cabinets, Fireplace mantle, top of piano, high bookshelves,
and posture on the tops of DOORs, curtain rods and the rail on my
shower doors (whichever gives them the most clear shot view of ME at
any given time during the day or evening)
They LOVE to "race" throughout the house. NEVER decidedly on the
floor -- in other words, if they are racing and a piece of furniture
is "in the way" they soar over it, slide across it, or use it for a
launching pad for the next HIGHER piece of furniture in their path.
If I'm eating, my non-bengals might watch - or even sit at my feet
and give me that big-eyed plea -- while my bengal kittens sit on my
shoulder like parrots and try to steal bites before I can get them
from my plate to my mouth... or just blatently jump up in my lap and
help themselves to whatever is on my plate which they MIGHT want...
and if they take a taste, and it does NOT meet their approval, they
MIGHT just drop it on the floor - or they MIGHT bring it back to me,
and drop it on my plate in total disgust.
They love to "help" with ANYTHING I am doing... and when I'm not at
work, I can NEVER be out of their sight for more than a couple of
moments, without having at LEAST one of them, come looking - or
calling for me.
They love all interactive toys, and if I don't bring the toys out
for a game, they will take any easily transportable toy available
and "drown" it in their drinkwell fountain, or MY glass of whatever
beverage I may have sitting nearby.
They "study" and try to "mimic" whatever I do. They know how
doorknobs work, and the faucets on all my sinks... they have learned
all of the things which get the most dramatic "reaction" from me,
and ONLY use those things, when I have done something that
displeases THEM...
In other words, even though some people might consider it
a "warning" -- I consider them to be the most entertaining
and "companionable" and loving pets I have ever been owned by.
Actually I am their SERVANT -- they ALLOW me to live with them, to
bring in groceries and clean litterboxes (smile)
LaVon Fabian
"fancidots"
From Jean:
Picture a brown rocket shooting down the hall running at full
tilt....sliding into the wall, using it as a launch pad and springing up onto the stairs..up
the loft, across the railing..sailing through the air...it's a plane, NO!
It's a bird..NO, it'sssssssss Super Bengal!!!!!!!! Making a crash landing onto
the top of the cupboards and then looking at you like..well? What's wrong
fatty? Can't keep up?? LOL My cats do this routine nightly! We just sit here and
laugh.
Jean
Baako Bengals
From Portia Neff:
Everything everyone has said is oh so true -- however our nightly
steeplechase involves our precious Bengal girl Zade, an extremely fast,
athletic Aby boy Tares, and our oh so innocent appearing Maine Coon boy Ash.
Ash may not fly like the Tares and Zade, but he makes up for it by simply
going through anything that is in his way!
Zade is very intelligent -- she definitely was not left out of the Bengal
Smarts. She makes up wonderful games to fool the boys. As an example she
will open a cabinet door in the kitchen that is in our center bar. Tares
will hear this and will to racing into the kitchen arriving just in time to
see her tail disappear through the door. He will sit there and work and
work on that cabinet door until he finally gets in too. Only to find that
Zade has disappeared. What she does is to go out of the cabinet very
quietly on the opposite side of the bar and then sneak around and watch
Tares trying to get into the cabinet to find her. I swear I can see a smirk
on her little spotted face!
From Kathryn:
We have an 8 month old Bengal boy, ALfie - our first bengal-
we had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for, even though we
have owned cats and dogs for many years....
We also have a Doberman bitch, a Maine Coon girl, a Norwegian Forest
Cat girl and an Oriental Havana girl, plus an old "moggie" girl, so
Alfie is our only boy now and he has decided he is (ahem) top dog.
Life was entertaining enough before Alfie came along, but now- there
is NEVER a dull moment. He is into everything, can scale tall
buildings (loves to climb along the picture rail and along tops of
doors) leaps 2.4m to the top of the shower cubicle to watch the
shower in use (he has been known to jump into the shower too), cannot
resist wet paint, houseplants of any description or anything wrapped
in cellophane, tin foil or bubble wrap, chews cardboard packaging off
anything new that has just been delivered, is the ONLY cat (or dog)
in the house who is not afraid of the vacuum cleaner or power tools,
absolutely adores his big sister Ailsa (the Doberman) and will insist
on chewing Ailsa' ears and feet.
When visitors call, he gets to the door before the dog and likes to
welcome all guests. He loves to give hugs and kisses and is more
talkative even than our Havana.
All the animals get along great together, fortunately, and we howl
with laughter when they start hurtling around the house at those "mad
half hour" times.
I would say, of all the critters, Alfie is definitely the most
animated and active (and curious)- more like a dog than any cat we've
ever known- and if you want laughter and life in your home, this
breed will be for you- just expect the unexpected and you won't be
disappointed.
Kathryn
From Rick:
Active, why yes, smart well they can train humans in a very short
time. Remember dogs have masters and cats have staff. We have a 5
y/o Bengal, Luther. When he's in the "full tilt boogie" mode he is
more of a flash. Screaming down the steps, a lap around the the
kitchen and dinning room, zooming out to the porch a lap or two
there then leaping into the hammock chair and using it to sling-shot
him out to go screaming up the stairs.
He's been known to fly
through the den and never touch the ground using furniture and
people. All that said he is very gentle and rarely breaks anything
and we have a lot of glass, pictures and nicknack's. His talking is
constant but he seems to have a point and will not be ignored.
Dinner is at seven, he can be served early but if it's late everyone
will hear about it. For the most part "people" rules do not
apply...counters, you must stand and move toward him or he is not
getting off. Steal food, well he has "jungle" blood and no remorse.
His rule is if he can make into his basket he is "free and forgiven"
from any deed. He is not let outside for safety although he has made
it out a few times but has always returned. He is normally taken out
with a harness and leash and is very much dog like when he see his
leash and heads out immediately, now he does prefer to pick the
direction. He has always had other animals, when we first got him we
had an older cat and dog who have since passed. We now have a cat
who is a bit younger (a bit fat) so he is never alone. Each animal
is unique, when we first got him he came from a noisy breeder with
many dogs and cats, it was holiday season and we had people and kids
over and he was always in the middle. Over the years for the most
part our home is quiet with just my wife and I and Luther "likes it
that way" now too. A knock on the door and he is gone, only to
return at dinner time or when the guest leave, whichever comes
first. Now should someone stay past 4 hours (or come regularly like
our twice a month house-keeper) then as far as Luther is concerned
they are "family". Since my wife and I come in through the garage we
are always greeted at the door with "conversation" however, should
we stray from the "path" and go out of town (even with cat sitter
provided) there will be no visible/ verbal cat for 2 hours at which
time we will both be scolded. Break out the tuna and all is
forgiven. I've had many cats in my life, mostly lost kittens and
from friends unexpected litters. It was kind of strange to "pay" for
a cat but suffice it to say a Bengal IS special- wild and active
while sweet and gentle. Fur more like a pelt soft and dense and
compared to any other domestic cat hypoallergenic to boot.
Rick