Do bengal cats bond with one person

Do Bengal Cats Bond With One Person?

  • March 21, 2023

Bonding is something that’s important to all domestic cats and Bengals are really not much different than any other cat when it comes to bonding. Since a Bengal cat tends to be extremely intelligent and highly active, it might to some seem like they don’t bond as well as others. However, that’s really not the truth. In this article we’ll cover the following:

  • Bonding With People and Family
  • Pairs May Not Be a Good Idea
  • Strategies for Bonding With Your Bengal

Bonding With People and Family

Bengal cats are really fun to live with because they are extremely friendly and always alert. When you have one as part of the family you’ll notice that nothing seems to escape their notice. They love to play games, and that can even be fetch just like a dog. They are also extremely good at learning all kinds of tricks. Because of this intelligence and love for play, often they are ideal for families, especially ones with younger children who are as active as the Bengal in their home.

Because of their shear enjoyment of the people in their lives, they generally will love almost anyone, especially if they pay attention to them and interact with them. Sure, there may be some Bengals who will seem to prefer one person over another in the family, but more times than not, they will form a lasting relationship with everyone that’s considered part of their family. In order for any cat, especially Bengals to have a wonderful bonding experience it will take a lot of commitment on your part.

Often, Bengals, especially as kittens, will bond quite easily with the children in your family. As long as children are taught how to treat them with respect and politely there should never be problems with these relationships. Children are much like Bengals with their curiosity and always wanting to play and this can be a good thing when it comes to your Bengal bonding with your children.

Pairs May Not Be a Good Idea

Most animals, including cats, tend to be happier when they are in pairs, it doesn’t always apply to all animals, including Bengals. Often, if you really want a good bonding experience with your Bengal, it might be better if they don’t grow up with another Bengal. Sometimes this can lead to problems that can be difficult to solve.

  • Dominance – If you already have a Bengal in your home and they seem to prefer being the only cat in the family it’s a good idea to not push the issue. If your cat isn’t happy they will act out often peeing all over things or shredding things up. They may also not want to have anything to do with you either.
  • Separation Anxiety – With Bengals, if they have plenty of things to keep them busy, being anxious about you leaving doesn’t happen often. But, it can happen. However, if you consider getting them a pet companion for while you’re gone can sometimes backfire on you. This type of anxiety isn’t caused from being lonely, it’s caused from being separated from their family member they’ve bonded deeply with.
  • Bad Behavior – Sometimes when one cat is behaving badly it will rub off on the other one. If your Bengal is already showing signs of bad behavior, getting another cat isn’t going to solve your problem. Sometimes it can make things worse because they might decide it’s really fun to share in the same bad behavior giving them a “partner in crime” so to speak.

Strategies for Bonding With Your Bengal

If you feel like you are having issues with bonding with your Bengal for whatever reason, it’s up to you to give them a good reason for them to want to spend some time with you. Whatever you do, when you try to bond with them never grab your Bengal or force any attention on them. This behavior could just make matters worse. Instead, try some of these strategies to try and bond with your Bengal.

  • Ignore Your Bengal – Have you noticed with cats, even Bengals that sometimes they tend to pick the person who seems to dislike cats to go to and want attention from, even sitting on their laps? Even though for some cats they really enjoy messing with people, the real reason why they act like this is because they often see our attempts to pet them, catch them or force our attention on them as being aggressive. Why would they want to be friends with someone they think is aggressive? This is why often when you ignore them they don’t see you as aggressive but you now have peaked their interest in you and they want to try and figure you out.
  • Bribe Your Bengal – There probably isn’t a cat around, including Bengals who don’t love to chow down on their favorite treats. So, if your Bengal is not being cooperative or is hiding from you, just move away, but, don’t leave the room entirely. Get their favorite treat and do your best to bribe them by putting the treat out for them and leaving it. You don’t want to leave the room when they’re eating the treat because then they won’t associate their yummy snack with you.
  • Make Sure to Talk to Your Bengal – Whenever you are together in the same room it’s a good idea for you to talk out loud as you go about your usual business. It doesn’t have to be anything meaningful. It’s the sound of your voice that’s truly important. Make sure you talk in a nice and calm voice. Your Bengal will learn to get use to your voice and be more relaxed around you.
  • Read Something to Your Bengal – You read that right. Read to your Bengal. It has been discovered that it’s a really effective way to help make your cat feel more comfortable around you. If you are having issues with them not wanting to come to you just close the door to the room they might be in, take a book or a magazine, sit on the floor and just starting it out loud to your cat. When you are reading to them it’s important that you don’t make any eye contact and try not to interact with them. Just let your cat watch you while you are doing something that’s not threatening and is a safe activity.
  • Be Intriguing to Your Bengal – If you want to spend some bonding time with your Bengal make sure that you have plenty of toys to interact with them. Make sure they’re toys that are intriguing and interesting to your cat so that they’ll be tempted to play with them and eventually learn that you, the toys and they are in for some super fun playtime every time they see you and those toys together.

Bonding takes a lot of time and patience and it’s something that you can’t rush. Once your Bengal feels safe with you and starts showing more interest in you as their toy supplier, caregiver and friend you’ll be amazed at how deep of a bond you can build. Just let your cat go at their own pace and let them learn how to love you on their terms and not yours.

So, what do you think? Did this help answer your questions on bonding with Bengals?  

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