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Bengals and GSD's?

4K views 26 replies 19 participants last post by  PatchonGSD 
#1 ·
So, I have always been a cat person. I have 3 cats now that are mostly elderly. Sasha, my GSD is 13 months old. I was thinking about getting a kitten but I was worried that a "normal" kitten wouldn't fit in because of my older cranky cats. Sasha is sweet with them though. I was watching t.v. today and they featured a Bengal on "My Cat From ****" and I thought...THAT'S IT!!! :wub: I walk/run with Sasha in the mornings and we spend a lot of time playing. I could teach this cat to run with us I think. Is it true? Are there any Bengal owners here? Do you think it can work?
 
#4 ·
Bengals are very high energy, they can be great pets or demons... Most bengals do best in a one pet household, as far add other cats go, not sure about dogs. I knew someone who got one and it would constantly attack their other cat, unfortunately they had to get rid of it. But I would assume that if raised around other animals from a kitten it would be fine. I would just do a lot of research on them first, they do require much more exercise than other cats and can be destructive, also check on your local laws for pets such as bengals, some states have restrictions on things like that. Good luck!
 
#6 ·
I can't imagine having a cat that needs exercise!
I'm tired enough with my horses and my dogs, the last thing I want to do is exercise a cat :0. I have an Abyssinian and a Siamese, that's as active as I want from cats, their bad enough.
 
#7 ·
I could teach this cat to run with us I think. Is it true? Are there any Bengal owners here? Do you think it can work?
No. I don't have Bengals, but you cannot teach a cat to run with you. It will end up badly for everyone involved; cat, human, and dog. Can you imagine encountering a stray dog when you are running with a cat??

Cats don't exercise the same way dogs do. Dogs evolved to hunt large prey by running them down and to exhaustion. Cats are stealth hunters and sprinters; they lie in wait until the prey is close, then make a quick sprint and leap to capture it. They don't run after their prey for miles like wild dogs do. Therefore, it is not necessary (or humane) to exercise them by distance running. They pretty much exercise themselves by sprinting around the house.

Bengals are not for everyone. They are demanding, high-maintenance, and can be aggressive toward other cats. I have Ocicats, which look similar to Bengals, but don't have any wild blood and therefore don't have the issues that Bengals tend to have. Oci's have a lot of personality, and mine get along great with my dogs and each other. If you're thinking about adding a wild-looking cat to your household, Ocicats are worth a look.
 
#8 ·
You're probably right! The guy on the show said that walking the cat was a good idea. :rolleyes: After sleeping on it and spending the morning exercising with Sasha a couple of hours, I think I'll hold off for a while on getting another pet! :crazy:
 
#10 ·
I have a Maine **** who is MORE work than my GSD's!

He needs mental stimulation and exercise, otherwise he is extremely vocal and hyper.

He is a good mix with my GSD's though, they chase and play with one another all the time.

I also had 2 house cats, one whom just passed a week ago.. both these cats were fine with my GSD's and I have never had any issues. Usually these cats just left the dogs alone but they were older, so that makes a difference.
 
#11 · (Edited)
We have a 18 month old seal spotted lynx Bengal. He is an F5 cat; 5 generations from the wild (Asian leopard in his case) ancestors.

I grew up with GSD's and a couple of cats here and there. Every cat we owned HATED me with a passion, regardless of how I treated them. Needless to say I was not a cat person. My girlfriend, however is, and "Shredder" our Bengal was something I promised her we could get when we bought our house, he has since won my heart over.

We are not legally allowed to let him outside on his own, so he is a house cat. We do, however take him alot of places with us, including walks around the yard on his leash. He LOVES to swim and be in the water; we live on a large lake and he will jump straight off the boat into the water, swim around and hop back up onto the boat, he will come in the shower with us in the mornings etc. He also gets into ABSOLUTELY everything. He is able to open the interior doors of our house, cabinets, etc. His favorite thing to do is destroy our rolls of toilet paper (no correlation to the name funny enough!), and steal his bags of treats. We generally change the cabinet there hidden every few weeks as he will find them and help himself! He is very vocal and demands a huge amount of attention from us when were home. Fortunately he is also very independent and keeps out of trouble (for the most part) while were away.

My parents have a 8 year old Corgi who he loves to terrorize. Whenever we go on vacation he stays at my parents house and its usually an endless game of chase for the two of them throughout the house. We havent got our GSD pup just yet, but it will certainly be interesting to have two fuzzy creatures living with us!

Its hard to tell from this picture but at 18 months, he is about 15lbs, very lean and stands up to my waist on his back legs (Im 6'2"). He is defiantly ALOT of work and at some times it can be quite tiring, especially late at night or early AM when he wants to plan, but I wouldn't trade him for anything!

-Coop
 

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#12 ·
Our Bengal loves all new cats and dogs he meets, though I will say he was a complete **** raiser as a kitten. I mean this cat would not sit in a your lap till about 4 years old, now he is a lapcat. As younger cat he would play fetch all day long and stalk and attack feet, and climb to the highest points in the house. Very amazing cats, but they can be trying, like mine will knock stuff off the shelf just to watch hit the ground and was very fiesty. Took him to our mother inlaws, he is at the house less than 5 minutes and has both paws up to his kitty armpits in her fish aquarium trying to fish.
 
#13 ·
lol I love Bengals, but I dont think I could have one. Maybe when I own my own house and have some property, I would seriously consider it but until them, I wont brave it. I used to love playing with a friends Bengals though.
 
#14 ·
Very high energy. Take it for walks on a harness regularly like I did.. Keep your balcony door shut, my Nasa wandered out there one morning when I slept in with the door open and sadly fell off and didn't make it 12 hours later in emergency.. Know where it is before you start the laundry, seriously. Before you shut any door, especially the fridge. They are pretty intelligent and curious cats. Nasa was the coolest pet I've ever had. He was amazing! Gorgeous, gorgeous kitty.. You do need to provide some kind of activity for them and make sure they are secure IN the home. They get along with GSDs famously in my experience. Vida LOVED having the little guy around!
 
#15 ·
I have a 16 month old female GSD, and a female Silver Bengal cat. I found the cat, and she has some issues. I also am really allergic to cats so i gave her a nice easy bath and she has hated me ever since lol. She loves my wife though, always hanging out with her. She absolutely did not like my GSD at first. But after 2 weeks or so they started getting along and they like each other now, and the live together comfortably. I dont know much about the kittys background, but she has very strong dark rosettas and is one of the most beautiful cats i have seen or had.
 
#16 ·
Our now deceased Bengal helped raise my last GSD. I was not a cat person but he was great. He was very smart kitty. He would spend the day outside and like clockwork @ 11 pm he was waiting to come in for the night. He was a hunter and my son use to say that he saw him take down a deer, which was always good for a laugh.
 
#17 ·
anyone have a savannah? I'd LOVE one those:)
 
#18 · (Edited)
Bengals are wonderful cats, but they can be a handful!
I've had three, & they all did just fine with my dogs (at the time, I had the two GSD's, plus a Basenji/Border Collie). I used to be part of the Bengal Rescue Network, for the NW.

They will get up to (high) places you would not think they could, they will knock stuff off shelves & such.

They are highly intelligent. They are like a dog/cat/ferret wrapped into one animal.
Yes, you can exercise them like dogs & they can learn to walk on a harness/leash fairly easily.

Unless your area specifically targets Bengals, you *shouldn't* have problems with having one. I wouldn't recommend a Foundation cat (F1, F2 or F3)-which are the hybrids, but most Bengal breeders don't work with them, so they're far enough away, generation wise, to avoid the hybrid problems.
That said, Bengals are definitely not your typical house cat, but they are a lot of fun.
 
#20 ·
I have three half bengal kittens, 4months old atm that I got from my friend's cat who had a litter. From my previous experience having kittens, these ones are definitely more energetic than any of my other cats, even being half bengals! They are so much fun though, and they love my dogs.

Pics of them: Out of a litter of 7, they were all spotted/striped except for one all black one lol




 
#21 ·
Have a nearly 20 year old Bengal who is winding down.....love her to pieces....she is an F4....most affectionate cat I have had probably...she has always been very people oriented, and is even more now....unfortunately, she is in kidney failure (super common in older cats) but seems to be doing well on special diet and fluids SQ. Hoping she lasts for a while as I am still not able to go home since the 3/30 accident....

I never had her out on a leash, nor let her run loose....she acclimated to my multi cat household fine; she never had fear of the GSDs....

I also had an Occicat Bengal cross and he was the most unpredictable cat I ever had....you could NOT touch his face, he would sink his teeth into you.....also would do so randomly if you were petting him....it was impossible to medicate him orally. He lived to be about 15 though...

I would love to have another Bengal.....

Lee
 
#22 · (Edited)
I wanted to add, that Bengals are pretty active, & many owners have exercise wheels for their cats (like big hamster wheels)


Also, if you go with a breeder, do your research & get one from a breeder that does HCM testing on their breeder cats. Bengals can be prone to HCM (or DCM), a heart disease. I lost my first Bengal to HCM. She was an older female that I adopted at a rescue, & I didn't know about the testing for Bengals, & I lost her to the heart disease.
 
#27 ·
I walk/run with Sasha in the mornings and we spend a lot of time playing. I could teach this cat to run with us I think. Is it true? Are there any Bengal owners here? Do you think it can work?
Now THAT is a sight I would like to see, lol! :thumbup:
 
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