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Bengal Cat Help Please

Hi All,

I'm new here. Sorry for the looong post but if anyone has advice, I'd appreciate it!

I recently got an 8 month old F6C Savannah, who is still in quarantine. I also have a 3.5 yr. old Bengal/Maine Coon mix and a 5 month old Bengal.

My main problem is my older bengal mix, who's kind of nuts :). He was a feral kitten and someone in the neighborhood called animal control, who trapped and took his mother and sister, so I took him home, so he wouldn't die. He was too young to be separated from his mother and has always been weird. He likes me but no one else. He is skittish, freaks out when he sees a broom, mop, etc. and has on occasion, when scared, pooped & peed all over my apartment. Yay. If I wasn't his only owner, I would think he was abused at some point....

When I got my 5 mo. old Bengal, everything was fine, they got along good when she was done with quarantine. But now she is slowly starting to act like my older cat (skittish, runs away for no reason, etc.). When before she acted normal with me.

Also, after about 3 weeks after the kitten got out of quarantine, my male kind of turned on her. He wouldn't let her near him, hissed when she head butted him (which is a lot), stopped sharing a bed with her, etc. Now they are ok and play a lot together but no longer nap together. My bengal kitten is EXTREMELY high energy, obnoxious and into everything. She would be with my older cat 100% of the time if he let her. I got the Savannah hoping she would be a more appropriate playmate for the bengal kitten.

My first question is can I/should I quarantine the 5 month old bengal again in an effort to stop this new behavior?? She is due to be spayed soon, so I could do it while she is healing from surgery.

My second question is if there is anything I can do to stop my Savannah, who is perfect, from eventually acting like my oldest cat? It would be horrible if she did!

Any advice on this would be great!

Thanks

These are my babies - Bisous - 3.5 yrs, Pogue - 5 months and Bacio - 8 months :)

Bisous.jpg Pogue.jpg Bacio...jpg
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Paula, I don't think your Bengal kitten's behavior has much to do with the behavior of your older bengal mix...I have a DSH boy that was feral and I saved him off the street at 5 weeks...he has ALWAYS been afraid...of everything...when I got my first savannah, after my Maine Coon died, Cisco and Taj became best friends...but Taj did not become like Cisco in behavior...

It could just be that your Bengal kitten is now a teenager and they do become more cautious, etc., as they get older...as for your savannah kitten, you need to make introductions slowly...have you read any of our threads on how to introduce new kittens to existing cats/kittens?
 
Thanks Paige & Hi!

That's good to hear. The kitten is still friendly but I was afraid my older cat's erratic behavior was rubbing off!

I have read some of the threads about introductions and plan to read more before I introduce them. Bacio was just spayed on Thursday. She is done with quarantine next Sunday, unless I wait longer.

But in any event, the bengal kitten must be spayed soon and will need to be quarantined regardless, to heal because she plays to rough. It will be a nightmare trying to keep her separated but it'll be necessary....

Does this sound ok?
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Thanks Paige & Hi!

That's good to hear. The kitten is still friendly but I was afraid my older cat's erratic behavior was rubbing off!

I have read some of the threads about introductions and plan to read more before I introduce them. Bacio was just spayed on Thursday. She is done with quarantine next Sunday, unless I wait longer.

But in any event, the bengal kitten must be spayed soon and will need to be quarantined regardless, to heal because she plays to rough. It will be a nightmare trying to keep her separated but it'll be necessary....

Does this sound ok?

yes, it sounds ok...but remember that the 2 week quarantine is just a timeframe...you really need to do what is best for all concerned...so your other cats may not be ready for your savannah's quarantine to be over and you need to follow the cues they all give you...

You should be allowing them to sniff under the door, etc...
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
I agree with Paige, I don't think the Bengal's behavior is from the older cat, but it wouldn't hurt separate her from the other cats while she's recovering from surgery. Also, once it is time for introductions to your Savannah, I would start with the five month old, then once that has gone smoothly start introducing the older cat to her.
 
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