Bengal Cat Character

Photograph copyright Helmi Flick

The Bengal cat character is very interesting because of the wild cat heritage. How is this seen in the Bengal cat's behavior? I have made several posts on this subject together with Bengal cat health issues. Here is another post on this popular subject. Bengals have plenty of character both in behavior and appearance. This is what makes them so popular.

What I haven't mentioned is the fact that within a cat breed there is a naturally wide variation in the personal characteristics of each cat, just as in humans. Sometimes we forget that. We seem to think that a cat is a cat and bundle them all together. It is probably fair to say that the individual characteristics are more outstanding than the underlying characteristics.

A quick recap on the underlying characteristics: intelligent, dynamic, active, athletic, involved. Caveat: make sure you are adopting a proper Bengal Cat if you want to see these characteristics. There are some bad and many good breeders.

Athletics:

My neighbour has a Bengal cat. He has a classic Bengal cat character. You can see him in a video jumping up at me. It's a short video in which I film him from above. He didn't like his space being encroached upon and attacked me in a nice way. See it here if you wish (this takes you to the main site Bengal cat page).

Some cats can jump much better than others and the Bengal is an outstanding athlete. They can jump vertically to substantial heights. They like to be high up sometimes, perched looking down.

Assertiveness:

The wildcat/domestic cat hybrids are usually more assertive. This must reflect the need to be assertive in the wild to survive. Obviously this is manifest in the early generation offspring (F1-F3) but less so at SBT level. But it would seem that the Bengal in her activity and energy is perhaps a little more assertive (demanding) than you typical moggie, for example.

Normal cat:

They do of course have all the lovable characteristics of a domestic cat; lap cat, crashing out after all that activity, plenty of sleep as well. In fact they are (if well socialised) a lovely soft domestic cat.

Water:

We know they like water a through back from their Asian Leopard wild ancestor. I have discussed this. But it has occurred to me that this could present dangers in a human habitat for the cat. Toilets often have bleach in them. Hugely dangerous for an inquisitive Bengal. I would take precautions against the potential for injury there.

As they like to jump into baths and showers, sometimes, it would seem that that could happen when you are in it, which means hot water, which your Bengal won't know about as she thinks all water is at ambient temperature. This would be another area where great care needs to be taken to protect your impulsive Bengal from getting scolded.

Voices:

Bengal cats have slightly different voices. All cats make a range of sounds and in fact it is through the tone of our voice and the general sound of our voice that we can communicate with our cats. This cuts two ways and Bengals are adept at communicating to us with a wide range of sounds and tones.

Another wild/domestic cat that has a notable voice is the Savannah. They have their own way of hissing (mimicking a snakes hiss to ward danger off). They are also assertive.

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