Do Bengal Cats Need A Lot of Attention?

January 9, 2023

The Bengal cat is an exotic breed of domestic cat that by now a lot of people realize was created to be a hybrid between a domestic cat and the Asian Leopard cat. It’s very famous for it’s beautiful markings on it’s coat and for it’s extreme intelligence and playfulness. What some people would like to know more about is whether or not Bengal cats require a lot of attention. Here’s what we will cover in this post:

Basic Attention Needs
Health Attention Needs
Physical and Emotional Attention Needs

Basic Attention Needs

As all living creatures there are basic needs that are needed such as food and water and of course a Bengal cat is no different than any other cat when it comes to their basic attention needs. However, it’s up to you as their owner/guardian that you feed your Bengal cat responsibly. Just like any domestic cat they should be give a high quality cat food that is either wet or dry.

It’s important that you keep an eye on your Bengal cat because they can tend to get heavier than the average cat. You can do the following to keep a check on their weight:

Take your Bengal and check once each week for weight gain. You can do this by feeling their ribs and check to see if they have a waistline. If you have problems with identifying their individual ribs then more than likely your Bengal is becoming a tad overweight and this means you may want to try to cut back on their food by about 10%. After a week you can recheck your Bengal to see if they’ve lost any weight.

When it comes to giving your Bengal cat water you can just give them the water in a separate water bowl, that is away from their food or you can consider setting up a system for running water. Since they love water so much, some owners tend to set up a running water system that can be purchased at most pet stores. They can also be ordered online.

A few notes about water and Bengals:

If you decide to not go with running water for their drinking water then just put it in a water bowl. However, because they love water so much, you might want to turn the faucet on in the bathroom sink for your Bengal to let them jump up onto the sink and let them enjoy drinking right out of the faucet.
It’s important to understand that Bengal cats truly have a thing about water. For some of them it’s actually a true obsession with it. They absolutely love playing with water because for some reason it holds some sort of fascination for them. Believe it or not, they can be mesmerized for hours by batting at it or playing with it with their paws. So, expect wet floors and carpets.
Unless you want you Bengal cat actually using the toilet, which they can be trained to do, you might want to make a habit of keeping the lid on your toilet down when not in use. A toilet for some Bengals turns into their own personal playtime pool and they can be found splashing the water all over the place in the bathroom.

When it comes to the litter box for your Bengal, you really shouldn’t use the typical style that most other domestic cats are accustomed to. When it comes to Bengals, they actually do like to feel they are getting some privacy when they have the need to go. So it’s best to buy one that is covered. Besides this cuts down on the mess that most litter boxes tend to create. Some owners have been successful teaching their Bengals how to use the toilet by using their love for water. Here’s a video of a toilet trained Bengal:

Since Bengals don’t tend to shed as much as a lot of other cats they only require a small amount of personal grooming. Their coats have a nice satin finish and doesn’t require a lot of care. But, just because they don’t need to be groomed often there’s no reason why you shouldn’t brush them whenever you want because they will love the attention that comes with it.

Health Attention Needs

Just like all cats Bengal cats need to see their vet regularly. If you want your Bengal to have a long and healthy life then you will need to make sure that they are well taken care of medically. If you bring home a kitten then it’s really important that you start their vaccination program from about six weeks old and then repeat again usually around ten weeks with the final kitten shots ending at about 14 weeks old. The shots will usually include:

Distemper
Rabies
Feline leukemia
Chlamydia

There are some breeders who often resist giving the leukemia vaccine but there really is no proof that Bengals are sensitive to this important vaccine and there doesn’t appear to be any kind of complications that develop with this breed. It’s important to note that their special ancestry does not give them any kind of natural immunity against feline leukemia, so it’s best that you follow your vets recommendations and not the breeders. Unless of course you know for a fact that your cat will never be exposed to the outdoors or other cats.

It’s highly suggested that you make sure that your Bengal is desexed around the age of six months unless you are seriously considering breeding yourself. Believe it or not, fixing your cat will often prolong their life.

Make sure that your Bengal kitten is de-wormed and it’s important to get this done at 6,8,10, and 12 weeks. After that they continue to receive the oral medication on a monthly basis to keep them free from worms all their life.

Bengal cats do tend to have some unique health problems that some other cats may not. One huge health problem is Feline Infectious Peritonitis. This is a disease that is viral in nature and spreads in places where there are several cats that share the same litter boxes. Often this means breeders can be guilty of spreading this disease. So it’s important that you find out if the breeder has a history of FIP.

Some other common health issues Bengals have are:

HCM which is a type of heart disease
PkDef this is a type of chronic anemia
Early onset autosomal recessive disorder that can lead to Bengals becoming blind in their first year of life

Physical and Emotional Attention Needs

Bengal cats are extremely active so it’s very important that you make sure they are allowed plenty of opportunities to to exercise. They especially love to climb and the higher they are allowed to do so, the happier they’ll be. If you don’t provide them with their own climbing area you may find them using your curtains instead.

It’s really a good idea to provide them with a cat gym that goes from the floor to the ceiling. It should have several different platforms and various different nest boxes. You might even want to consider installing one in every room you allow your Bengal to be in. A really good place to put a cat gym by the way is right in front of a window where they can watch birds and other interesting creatures outside.

Bengal cats needs tons of mental stimulation in order to keep them out of trouble. Because, if they aren’t stimulated they are going to find a way to be stimulated and it might not be in the way you want. This means that it’s extremely important that you give your Bengal a lot of different kinds of toys many of which should be interactive as well as ones that provide them with treats. Bengal cats love to play and will find their own items to play with if you don’t give them their own. Check out this cat playing with it’s own puzzle box:

It’s important to understand that Bengal cats are extremely intelligent and they love problem solving and this is why if they are not given their own toys that offer them problem solving challenges they’ll find their own way. Often this means they can be found teaching themselves how to open up drawers, cabinets and doors that you might not want them to be opening. In fact it’s often advised that you put child locks on at least the doors that they try to tamper with, This is mainly for their own safety. It’s also a good idea that you keep dangerous things stored where you think they can’t get to.

It’s very important that you have personal one on one play sessions with your cat that should last at least ten minutes each time or until they are tired of playing with you. Bengal cats love their owners and love the attention they get from playing with their owners. Not only does it give you enjoyment and entertainment but it’s an opportunity for the two of you to bond much deeper.

Here’s a cute video of a Bengal playing fetch with it’s owner:

So what do you think of this post? Did we help answer your question about the attention Bengals need? Please feel free to let us know what you think by leaving us a comment below.

Do Bengal Cats Need A Lot of Attention?

Basic Attention Needs

Health Attention Needs

Physical and Emotional Attention Needs

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