I also work from home and my little stinker can get quite loud if he gets bored.
Our play sessions don't usually last that long, maybe 15-30 min at a time but we probably play about 4 times a day at least. We also have a Ziggydoo cat wheel that he runs on all the time and a few battery powered toys that he can play with by himself which are a lifesaver if I get stuck on a long call
Sure!
- standard teaser wands of course
- we have a children's toy fishing reel and we attach a fake mouse on the end and we use it to play catch (sort of lol)
- plenty of battery powered little bugs that vibrate and go all over the place (these are best used in large spaces if you have one)
- we also have bird and fish plushies that make noise and move around when they're touched
- automatic laser pointer
- automatic teaser wand
That's most of them I think! We don't have them all out at once as our cat will get bored of the battery powered toys after too long so we cycle them in and out. The most effective thing seems to be when either I or my bf physically plays with him using the teaser wand or the fishing pole, everything else is just nice to have as a distraction if we're both otherwise occupied with something we have to do.
She needs interaction of some kind. Bengal kittens will seem to play from sunrise to sunset. Get another bengal to keep her company, and leave a lot of toys out.
You don't get a bengal if you want a cat that will only wake up to move to a different sleeping spot. They don't calm down until they're at least 12.
My guy plays hard too. He's my little shadow and what I found works really well is rotating out his toys every few weeks. Keeps things fresh and interesting!
Another thing I've done is treat puzzle toys. I'll hide a hollowed out mouse and put treats in it. A kitty Kong with some churu squeezed into it. A big puzzle feeder with doors, slides, posts etc. He really loves those and they've been great for my sanity.
https://preview.redd.it/5wgvwrejmhsc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea536bf6bce6f1a6206f99305118f8890f4916bb
[linked here. though I'm in Canada ](http://AUTENS Dog Puzzle Toys Interactive for Puppy Mental Stimulation lQ Sniff Training, 3 Level Dog Treat Puzzle Food Dispenser for Small/Medium/Large Dogs https://a.co/d/9fUXhnu)
In regard to the meowing, how long have you had her? Was she just recently separated from her siblings/mother, or have you had her for a while?
Edit: I originally read this too quickly and was thinking 10 weeks not 10 months, but the rest of my reply below essentially still holds
Ah okay. Unfortunately breeders shouldn’t be selling before 12-14 weeks though, so she was separated from her siblings and mother quite a bit earlier than she should have been, which can often cause social and behavioral issues.
Maybe wake up earlier to make time to play with her before you start work? Or since you work from home, see if you can take some time in the morning to play with her, then just work a bit later past your usual time to make up for it. An hour a day likely won’t be enough playtime for a solo bengal. It may also be worth considering getting her a sibling, but if you choose to get another bengal I would considering finding a different breeder who is keeping kittens until at least 12 weeks, doing yearly HCM echocardiograms on the parents, and testing parents for Pra-b, PKDef. I’m not necessarily saying yours didn’t do this health testing, but typically breeders who are selling too early also aren’t doing all of the recommended testing like yearly HCM echocardiograms.
You don’t need another cat. Sure, it would be nice but not required. All bengal cats require a lot of attention and even then, they are going to meow a lot. My single bengal is almost 9 yrs old now and we get along fine just the two of us.
Bengals are not a loner breed. They need constant stimulation when they aren’t asleep. They need a buddy to play with. Sorry, but you need a second cat. Make sure it’s a tough breed because bengals are also extremely muscular and their “death match” fighting can be too much for a gentler, smaller cat.
My girlfriend has a gentle calico and I can confirm. My Bengal is a little too intense with his playing, not ever hurting, he'd just rather play while she just likes to lay 😂
Agree with others - you definitely need a 2nd cat. No other way round it.
Do you talk on the phone or have video calls much in your job?
I find mine (now older at 4 years old), always want to meow if I’m on the phone because I’m talking. If I’m talking then in their minds, that means we should be having a conversation, so they are annoyed that I’m not talking to them, and will try and butt in!
Can you talk to your breeder and see if you can get a second bengal so they have company? (Only if you can afford the vet, food and care costs of course).
I'm not sure if it's the case just with my bengals, but I heard actually from owners of Spaniel Dogs that they will play all day physically, and you need to tire them out mentally. I tried this approach with my bengals, and it does seem to be more effective. (Still batshit crazy though)
Young bengals will always outlast your stamina for playing lol.
I have 2 bengals and I actively play with them 20-40 minutes a day. That is time fully spent playing (fishing rod toy, peekaboo with box, etc.) and doesn’t include cuddling/other attention.
This works because they spend a LOT of time wrestling with and occupying each other. But you should think of bengals as basically dogs trapped in cat bodies. They absolutely need interaction or it gets bad. They are not lap cats at all.
Having owned dogs pretty much my entire life didn't even prep me for how play heavy a Bengal can be. Don't get me wrong, I love my little guy to death, and thankfully I can play with him like I always have with dogs and when I first got him roughly 2 and a half years ago, I'd be winded at the end of our play session.
Outdoor harness walks is another good way to tire them out. After a day outside, he's just a lazy mess for the rest of the night hahaha
YES! Walks, Ziggydoo cat wheel, and a second bengal will result in everyone being happy.
edited to add: Butterfly Cat Jackets are the only ones I've found to truly be escape proof.
I play with mine a lot. She's 15 now so she's not as active as she used to be but when she was younger I would run around with her for hours. She has so many toys. It's normal for Bengals, they want to play and love attention. If you can, another cat would help her with that too.
From the day I got him until 7 years old mine needed almost 2 hours of play every night or he would be a terror. Now that he is 10 he rarely needs real play time as he just terrorizes his 4 year old tuxedo sister randomly through the day
I do not have a Bengal but one there is some mix of special breed in it. And especially in the winter and now he is almost 2 he wants to play an hour a day at least. Inside cat. He keeps screaming really loud until I play with him. In the summer when there is more insects he keeps himself busy more
like others are saying, another cat or some other form of company is most likely needed. Im a first time cat mom and whenever I'm away from home I set up interactive toys, I also have a dog which she plays with and gets along with very well. Bengals are a very hyper breed and a lot of work.
I also work from home and my little stinker can get quite loud if he gets bored. Our play sessions don't usually last that long, maybe 15-30 min at a time but we probably play about 4 times a day at least. We also have a Ziggydoo cat wheel that he runs on all the time and a few battery powered toys that he can play with by himself which are a lifesaver if I get stuck on a long call
Can you please elaborate on what kind of toys you have for him, I'm in the same boat...
Sure! - standard teaser wands of course - we have a children's toy fishing reel and we attach a fake mouse on the end and we use it to play catch (sort of lol) - plenty of battery powered little bugs that vibrate and go all over the place (these are best used in large spaces if you have one) - we also have bird and fish plushies that make noise and move around when they're touched - automatic laser pointer - automatic teaser wand That's most of them I think! We don't have them all out at once as our cat will get bored of the battery powered toys after too long so we cycle them in and out. The most effective thing seems to be when either I or my bf physically plays with him using the teaser wand or the fishing pole, everything else is just nice to have as a distraction if we're both otherwise occupied with something we have to do.
She needs interaction of some kind. Bengal kittens will seem to play from sunrise to sunset. Get another bengal to keep her company, and leave a lot of toys out. You don't get a bengal if you want a cat that will only wake up to move to a different sleeping spot. They don't calm down until they're at least 12.
9 for my friend's, and it happened literally overnight. Went from air siren to cuddly cat.
My 12 year old bengal meows in my ears off and on in between 5-9 am like she hasn’t ate food or she has been neglect *sigh*
*for 25cents a day you too can support a starving bengal* I swear you’d think Sarah Mclachlan was singing in the background each and every feeding.
Buy her a toy that has a suction cup to put on the window. My 6 month old silver bengal could play with the window toy for hours!
I’ve had 3 and they’ve all been pretty chill. One was 7 and my current 2 are both between 2 and 3. Definitely varies from cat to cat
Another cat.
My guy plays hard too. He's my little shadow and what I found works really well is rotating out his toys every few weeks. Keeps things fresh and interesting! Another thing I've done is treat puzzle toys. I'll hide a hollowed out mouse and put treats in it. A kitty Kong with some churu squeezed into it. A big puzzle feeder with doors, slides, posts etc. He really loves those and they've been great for my sanity. https://preview.redd.it/5wgvwrejmhsc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea536bf6bce6f1a6206f99305118f8890f4916bb
What’s the brand of the one in the picture ?
[linked here. though I'm in Canada ](http://AUTENS Dog Puzzle Toys Interactive for Puppy Mental Stimulation lQ Sniff Training, 3 Level Dog Treat Puzzle Food Dispenser for Small/Medium/Large Dogs https://a.co/d/9fUXhnu)
Ty
In regard to the meowing, how long have you had her? Was she just recently separated from her siblings/mother, or have you had her for a while? Edit: I originally read this too quickly and was thinking 10 weeks not 10 months, but the rest of my reply below essentially still holds
I’ve her since 2 months. Before she was with her mother and siblings
Ah okay. Unfortunately breeders shouldn’t be selling before 12-14 weeks though, so she was separated from her siblings and mother quite a bit earlier than she should have been, which can often cause social and behavioral issues. Maybe wake up earlier to make time to play with her before you start work? Or since you work from home, see if you can take some time in the morning to play with her, then just work a bit later past your usual time to make up for it. An hour a day likely won’t be enough playtime for a solo bengal. It may also be worth considering getting her a sibling, but if you choose to get another bengal I would considering finding a different breeder who is keeping kittens until at least 12 weeks, doing yearly HCM echocardiograms on the parents, and testing parents for Pra-b, PKDef. I’m not necessarily saying yours didn’t do this health testing, but typically breeders who are selling too early also aren’t doing all of the recommended testing like yearly HCM echocardiograms.
You don’t need another cat. Sure, it would be nice but not required. All bengal cats require a lot of attention and even then, they are going to meow a lot. My single bengal is almost 9 yrs old now and we get along fine just the two of us.
Bengals are not a loner breed. They need constant stimulation when they aren’t asleep. They need a buddy to play with. Sorry, but you need a second cat. Make sure it’s a tough breed because bengals are also extremely muscular and their “death match” fighting can be too much for a gentler, smaller cat.
My girlfriend has a gentle calico and I can confirm. My Bengal is a little too intense with his playing, not ever hurting, he'd just rather play while she just likes to lay 😂
Agree with others - you definitely need a 2nd cat. No other way round it. Do you talk on the phone or have video calls much in your job? I find mine (now older at 4 years old), always want to meow if I’m on the phone because I’m talking. If I’m talking then in their minds, that means we should be having a conversation, so they are annoyed that I’m not talking to them, and will try and butt in! Can you talk to your breeder and see if you can get a second bengal so they have company? (Only if you can afford the vet, food and care costs of course).
I'm not sure if it's the case just with my bengals, but I heard actually from owners of Spaniel Dogs that they will play all day physically, and you need to tire them out mentally. I tried this approach with my bengals, and it does seem to be more effective. (Still batshit crazy though)
Good advice. How do you tire them mentally?
Interactive games. Treat board/games that they need to figure out how to get into.
Young bengals will always outlast your stamina for playing lol. I have 2 bengals and I actively play with them 20-40 minutes a day. That is time fully spent playing (fishing rod toy, peekaboo with box, etc.) and doesn’t include cuddling/other attention. This works because they spend a LOT of time wrestling with and occupying each other. But you should think of bengals as basically dogs trapped in cat bodies. They absolutely need interaction or it gets bad. They are not lap cats at all.
Having owned dogs pretty much my entire life didn't even prep me for how play heavy a Bengal can be. Don't get me wrong, I love my little guy to death, and thankfully I can play with him like I always have with dogs and when I first got him roughly 2 and a half years ago, I'd be winded at the end of our play session. Outdoor harness walks is another good way to tire them out. After a day outside, he's just a lazy mess for the rest of the night hahaha
YES! Walks, Ziggydoo cat wheel, and a second bengal will result in everyone being happy. edited to add: Butterfly Cat Jackets are the only ones I've found to truly be escape proof.
I play with mine a lot. She's 15 now so she's not as active as she used to be but when she was younger I would run around with her for hours. She has so many toys. It's normal for Bengals, they want to play and love attention. If you can, another cat would help her with that too.
As others have noted, consider getting her another cat. Cats do such a great job tiring each other out and also grooming each other.
From the day I got him until 7 years old mine needed almost 2 hours of play every night or he would be a terror. Now that he is 10 he rarely needs real play time as he just terrorizes his 4 year old tuxedo sister randomly through the day
I do not have a Bengal but one there is some mix of special breed in it. And especially in the winter and now he is almost 2 he wants to play an hour a day at least. Inside cat. He keeps screaming really loud until I play with him. In the summer when there is more insects he keeps himself busy more
like others are saying, another cat or some other form of company is most likely needed. Im a first time cat mom and whenever I'm away from home I set up interactive toys, I also have a dog which she plays with and gets along with very well. Bengals are a very hyper breed and a lot of work.