If you are considering bringing home a Bengal cat to live with you, you should be aware that Bengals can be somewhat demanding of your time and if you don’t have the time they require, you might want to consider a different breed of cat. Here we will discuss a variety of personality traits of the Bengal and hopefully answer the question of whether or not Bengals get lonely. In this post we will cover:
- What is the Typical Personality of a Bengal?
- Are They More Emotionally Sensitive?
- Are They Suited to be the Only Pet?
What is the Typical Personality of a Bengal?
Right from the beginning you will discover that Bengal cats are extremely active, unique and very intelligent. Far more so than most other domestic cats. They truly enjoy the art of playfulness and they enjoy a social atmosphere that is interactive and allows them to show off their intelligence! Because of this, they can at times, be rather demanding and often require a lot of attention and a lot of your time. It doesn’t matter to a Bengal if you’ve had a long and exhausting day at work because they’ve been waiting for you to come home all day and will demand your attention.
Bengals are extremely concerned about cleanliness and this is especially true when it comes to their litter box. This means that as their owner you need to make sure that the litter box is always clean and that it is one that is placed somewhere that gives them some sort of privacy. You also need to make sure that the litter you use is litter that they themselves will use. This means that it could take some experimenting with litter. Another thing that you can do to ensure that your Bengal will use the litter box is ask the breeder what they use and buy that same type of litter.
Bengal cats tend to have extremely strong reasoning capabilities and this means that on top of being very inquisitive they are able to figure out how to do things many other domestic cats simply ignore trying to do. This means that Bengals can get themselves into a lot of mischief especially when they are left alone to their own devices. Bengals have the ability to figure out a lot of different things, here’s just a short list of what they can do:
- Open kitchen cabinets
- Open kitchen drawers
- Open dresser drawers
- Open doors to other rooms, even the front door sometimes
- Flush toilets
- Find things they like and hide them in their own private stashes
Something you should be aware of is that if you have a home where the décor and furnishings are extremely important to you or more important than your Bengal, then your home is not suited for a Bengal. One of the reasons for this is that they love to get up as high as they can and leap from these high places to another level. This could mean damaging some of the things in your home. Probably the best thing you can do for a Bengal is to provide them with their own area where they can climb, scratch and jump from. You can find a variety of different cat gyms that are well suited for the athletic Bengal. If you fail to provide them with something like this, you could be asking for trouble and it really won’t be your Bengal’s fault.
Because Bengals have a truly unique fascination with water there are a few things you may want to do to keep them safe. You may want to convert your plumbing fixtures to knobs instead of handles because they can easily learn how to use handles. You also may want to always make sure that your toilet lid is down so they aren’t tempted to teach themselves how to flush the toilet, unless of course you’ve decided to toilet train your Bengal and not litter box train.
Once a Bengal has become use to your home environment they soon will become very attached to you and will want as much attention as they can get from you. They love to follow their pet parent around everywhere they go and will do their best to try and get involved with whatever you might be doing.
This is especially true if you have been gone all day at work. After all, they have missed you and there’s a lot of time to be made up for. Even though you might be tired, they are just beginning and you can’t expect them to just sit in your lap for hours doing nothing. This is not to say they won’t sit in your lap for a short time, they will, but they are not couch potatoes. They are going to want you to play with them and pay attention to their playful antics. This is something as a Bengal owner that you need to get used to.
When it comes to settling down at night, you’ll be happy to know that many Bengal cats do appreciate being allowed on your bed because often they do enjoy sleeping with their pet parent. You might even discover that your Bengal may even talk while sleeping. Here’s a cute video of a Bengal trying to get some sleep:
Are They More Emotionally Sensitive?
Because Bengal cats are so intelligent they are very easily trained and some owners believe they’re even more intelligent than dogs. However, this intelligence has also made them a lot more sensitive to their own feelings as well as the feelings of others around them.
Because of their emotional sensitivity they can get stressed easier when they are living in a home that might be more emotional than others. When they get stressed out they sometimes can tend to exhibit unwanted bad behavior that is caused from this emotional stress.
Their ability to pick up on emotions is something all Bengal owners need to be aware of and it’s important that as their owner make sure that their environment is one that is as stress free as you can get it. It’s important that you make sure that they have plenty of fun and interesting toys to keep themselves occupied while you are away and that as soon as you return home you acknowledge them and give them the attention they are craving.
An emotionally happy Bengal is going to make for a very loyal and loving relationship between you and your Bengal. One way to help ensure that your Bengal is emotionally fulfilled, especially when you are away, is to pair them up with another pet. Which leads us to our final question.
Are They Suited to Be the Only Pet?
When it comes right down to it, the answer is probably no. This is especially true if you are away from the home for work all day. Bengals can get very bored and lonely when they are left alone to their own devices. Often they might get stressed out at being left alone for hours and this can lead to a feeling of loneliness and can then turn into “bad behavior”. It’s really important that a Bengal cat is made to feel that they are loved and cared about. Even if you provide them with plenty of things to keep them occupied during the time you are gone, there are some that simply need more. This is why sometimes it’s important that your Bengal has a suitable playmate to spend time with during the hours you are gone. This will cut down on the chance of them getting lonely and bored.
Your Bengal will do best with either another Bengal or a different cat that is energetic like them. They also seem to like dogs to play with as well. You just need to make sure that the dog is one that also likes cats. Having another pet in the home that enjoys playing a lot is going to go a long way to help keep your Bengal less bored and less lonely.
It’s important to realize that even after you come home, just being home doesn’t mean your Bengal won’t feel lonely. They can if you don’t pay attention to them when they demand the attention. Bengals are extremely social animals and you are part of their world and they have a need and a desire to socialize with you. So be aware of this and make sure that you take the time to play with them and share love with them whenever you can. Your Bengal will love you for it and will be much more emotionally healthy for it.
So, what did you think of our post? Has it helped you better understand the emotional needs of Bengals? Please feel free to let us know what you think by posting a comment below!
