How to Care for a Bengal

Bengals are hardy cats with few special care requirements. Still, your Bengal depends on you for food, shelter, health care and love.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cat Foods
• Cat Leashes
• Cat Toys
• Cat Treats
• Kitty Litters
• Litter Boxes
• Litter Scoop
• New Kitten Kits

1. Talk to your vet about feeding if you find yourself with a kitten younger than six weeks old.

2. Feed kittens under six months canned kitten food three to four times a day. Reduce feeding to two times a day at about six to eight months of age.

3. Keep dry kitten food and fresh water available at all times.

4. Change to adult food at one year of age. Mix 1/4 adult food with 3/4 kitten food and gradually increase the percentage of adult food over five to ten days.

5. Feed your cat the good stuff - avoid generic brands. Don't feed your cat food intended for other animals - cats have specific dietary requirements.

6. Provide both dry and wet cat food - cats like variety.

7. Don't give your cat bones, and avoid uncooked food, but table scraps are OK in moderation - no more than 50 percent of your cat's diet.

8. Don't give your cat milk - it can cause diarrhea.

9. Have female cats neutered at four to six months of age, males at six to seven months. Cats can go into heat and begin reproducing as early as four months, and get pregnant again while still nursing the first litter, so don't wait.

10. Always keep an identification tag with your address and phone number on your cat.

11. Scoop waste from the litter box daily, and clean the box and refill it with clean litter weekly.

Tips & Warnings

• Cats can be happy indoors if they have a companion pet, toys, scratching posts, window shelves and lots of attention from you.
• You might be able to train your cat to walk on a leash or harness - but watch out for dogs.
• Hold your cat with one hand under his chest and the other hand under his back legs, keeping it close to you.
• Play with your cat or kitten with toys, not your hands, which can encourage biting and aggressiveness. If your cat bites, blow in her face before pulling your hand away.
• Reward your cat when she does good instead of using physical punishment when she's bad. Physical punishment will only make her afraid of you or cause her to act out when you're away. A loud noise or squirt of water can help stop bad behavior.
• The outdoors poses many possible dangers including fights, disease, getting lost, traffic, hypothermia, traps or the possibility of being stolen.
• Small objects such as buttons, needles, shoelaces and tinsel can be hazardous if your cat eats them.
• Keep household cleaning chemicals and medication in places safe from your cat's curiosity.
• Certain plants, such as poinsettias, can be fatal for your cat, as can the water at the bottom of your Christmas tree.
• Take uneaten food away from a kitten after ten minutes - overeating can cause diarrhea or vomiting.
• Your cat can be strangled or suffocated by plastic bags with handles.
• Give your cat its own "garden" (from a pet store or vet) so it won't eat your plants, which can be poisonous. Or, to prevent plant eating, place cedar blocks or hot chili peppers on the soil, or hang the plants out of your cat's reach.
• Hide electrical wires.
• Keep toilet lids down.
• Make sure your window screens are secure - cats don't always land on their feet, and they don't have much depth perception.
• If your cat refuses to use a clean litter box see your vet - it could mean a health problem.

[Janese]

on 11/5/2008 15 month old Bengal female. How do I get her to drink water instead of licking gravy from wet food. She eats dry food but won't eat much of wet food.

[Janese]

on 11/5/2008 15 month old Bengal will meow for her wet food and lick the gravy like she's thirsty, then leave the food. How do I get her to drink water? There's always dry food available as well. I try Brita filtered tap water, bottled spring water and refrig door water.

[PiNkLAdY89]

on 7/16/2008 please post as much information about kidney fits and other diseases cats can get if not properly fed, looked after, fed etc...

[RCaugh]

on 6/12/2007 It can be difficult to find a dry food Bengals like. You may need to try several. I found Science Diet Adult Light has less cereal and more protien, and best of all he eats it. They prefer a diet of wet food and will usually only eat a small amount of dry. They will beg for table scraps too so be prepared to have some treats on hand or give in and toss them bites of your dinner. They are very needy when it comes to attention and require a lot of interactive play time comparitively. Fetching is a way of life for my little guy. Quiet time in a bathroom or room free of practically everything can help moderate behavior and give you a small break, but be prepared to follow them around constantly monitoring potential trouble. They are much more curious comparitively and likely to become bored easily. Most cat lovers expect a low maintenance pet. You will not find that in a Bengal.

[nitky12]

on 5/4/2007 Please also note that although your cat will appear to love dry cat food. This is because commercial cat food contains flavor enhancers that are addictive to cats. It in no way reflects the nutritional value of the food.