Female cat attacked by Bengal-help!

[Poppy_82]

My lovely female, neutered 2 year old cat is sadly living in a constant fear of been attacked by a Bengal cat, resulting now in having to have a cat tray as she refuses to go outside. If a door or window is left open the bengal cat, who is not neutered comes into the house and attacks my cat...leaving fur everywhere and my poor cat absolutely terrified! The bengal cat also seems to be hungry and has in the past ripped open boxes of biscuits and sachets of wet food. I did have an electronic cat flap for my cat which the bengal cat broke his way through...quite incredible! I am at a loss of what to do? I am at the point of considering finding a new home for my little cat as I feel terrible for her having to live in a state of panic inside her home and not feeling secure enough to go outside. Is anyone else having similar problems...if this cat has an owner they need to start taking some responsibility and at the very least get the cat neutered, especially as he is a bengal!!!! Help Please!

[sedm]

That's terrible!

I think finding the owner should be a priority as they may have no idea what their cat is up to. You could leave a note around its neck saying "if this is your cat, please call xxx" or maybe try and follow it to see where it lives?

The other tactic could be to try and scare it off - maybe a water pistol?

[Poppy_82]

Hi sedm,

It is terrible! I've managed to get the hose on him a few times but he comes back pretty quickly. Even when I was looking after a dog for a few months he wasn't overly bothered!!

[tasha1]

We had an incident two weeks ago in which my already timid cat was mauled. He was injured, requiring 14 stitches across various parts of his stomach and extremely traumatised. The vet thought it was most likely a fox as his fur had literally been 'ripped' off his body but she also said that it is rare for foxes to attack cats. The only other possibility she could suggest was that it was a Bengal. I have to admit I know nothing about this breed or what they even look like. However, the vet said they were very popular but extremely vicious. I cannot comment from a personal view as the mystery of my cats injuries remain but I'm now constantly worrying about him every time he does venture outside.

[Mustard]

Celia Hammond can provide traps to catch cats and then they will check for microchip, neuter......

[Poppy_82]

That's awful tasha1, your poor cat! The attacks are pretty brutal, thank goodness I've always managed to intervene! I have done a search on the forum to see if anyone else has had the same problem and it seems as though they have. If it is chipped and has an owner I don't know where to go from there!

[Poppy_82]

http://www.bengalcathelpline.co.uk/bengalsaspets.htm

Here is a link tash1 about bengals...I wouldn't dismiss it as a contender for your cats attack!

[The Minkey]

Whereabouts is this happening? Maybe the bengal's owner reads the forum and it wouldn't harm for them to be made aware what their cat is doing. Or perhaps he is a stray? If so, CH may be prepared to neuter and rehome, preferably somewhere away from other cats. So sorry for your predicament.

[aquarius moon]

I agree the most important thing is to find the owner who needs to read the link above & be made aware of what his/her cat and bengals in general are capable of.

Could you maybe knock on a few doors or put a note through letterboxes in your road? Someone must know who it belongs to.

It would be really sad for you & your cat if you had to re-home her.

Good luck x

[first mate]

Bengals are known to be capable of being much more territorial and aggressive than many other cat breeds, especially if left intact...how utterly irresponsible of the owner. I would recommend rehoming the Bengal to somewhere that he has a large enough range to satisfy his territorial instincts, as well as neutering him immediately.

[Mustard]

Or there may be a Bengal lover who would like to take it on, after it is neutered.

Anyone who doesn't get any roaming cat neutered is so anti-social and irresponsible.

I wouldn't worry too much about finding the owner right now, the cat's causing damage to your cat and your property, just get him trapped first.

[deborah.bruce]

Be really careful yourself too, if you are thinking of putting a message on the Bengal cat's collar for the owner. My mum's cat was chased into the house by a neighbour's bengal, my mum was sitting in the room and simply stood up to intervene, and the bengal flew at her from 2 feet away and bit her through to the bone on her hand. She went to the GP for a tetanas but the next day her hand was swollen like a blown up rubber glove and she had to go to hospital and be put on an antibiotic drip. The infection spread and she had to have an operation on her hand. It was a majorly upsetting thing for a 70 year old cat lover and she was really shaken up by it. We never found out who owned the cat and I felt really powerless about it. The vet told me that an owner is not liable anyway, and this seems extraordinary to me. I think Bengal cats are more territorial than other breeds and clearly more aggressive. I hope you can find the owner of the one that is causing your cat so much stress, I'm sure most people would be horrorfied to hear that their cat was causing such chaos. I would!

[tasha1]

Thanks Poppy- 82. Interesting read and now I have some idea what they look like and yes, one could possibly have been responsible for the attack on my cat. It's probably well worth approaching CH as others have suggested to see if its microchipped etc, rather than approaching yourself. Al cats need a lot of attention and care and it would appear Bengals need a bit extra than your common moggy. It's horrible when you know your cat is frightened and stressed and you cannot control what goes on in their life outside. My other cat is very gentle and friendly but knows how to stick up for himself. More dominant cats or any animal, will tend to seek out those more timid or vulnerable as their target. Cats historically, have enjoyed large Territories and it's not really in their genetic make up to have to time share, negotiate territories as they have to in city life. Please don't think I'm suggesting we shouldn't have them, I adore cats!

[Poppy_82]

Think with some help from people on the forum we have identified who the cat is and possibly where it lives. Apparently other cat owners have complained but unfortunately I am told the owners were not very receptive. I agree bengals clearly are not suitable for city life and how very sad other cats are having to suffer!

[Tradesman32]

You mention that it has come through your cat flap and attacked. Do you have children? Either way it's not acceptable. Deal with it so the Bengal knows it is not feared. I don't want to see the Bengal harmed but in my opinion it will need to be close to that for the cat to be too scared to come back. This may not be a popular post but deal with the Bengal fiercely and you will scare it off

[The Minkey]

I wonder if this is the bengal another poster contacted me about a few weeks ago. They messaged me by mistake as I'd responded to a missing bengal post. Cat called Arthur described as always starving and riddled with tapeworm, Townley Rd area?

[sedm]

Btw I think it's a shame this has been moved to the lounge as it's clearly a local issue that other pet owners may want i be aware of (similarly to the pellet gun shooter, even if it's animals rather than humans)

[chuff]

I have two bengals, both males, both neutered and they're the soppiest, friendliest cats I've ever had. They love humans, other cats and dogs alike. Possibly the problem is the fact that this cat hasn't been neutered, lots of large tom cats terrorise other cats given the chance.

When we contacted breeders years ago to buy our cats, we were informed by all of the breeders that we'd need to sign a disclaimer stating that we'd have them neutered when they reached a certain age, as the breeding is controlled here. Maybe this cat is a product of uncontrolled breeding and there's too much of the original breed in him or maybe he just needs his bits off.

If you do want to catch him and take to the vet to find the owner then I'd suggest giving him a treat and a lot of fuss, he'll most likely let you pick him up and go into a carrier then. I've done this with a fiesty bengal that wasn't mine and didn't want to be caught.

Good luck and I hope your cat gets her confidence back soon.

[Xanadustar]

Hello Poppy

Your story really resonates with me as we had exactly the same problem with a neighbouraing Bengal as you are experiencing currently. We had to have our aged cats microchipped and installed a new catflap to stop the Bengal coming into the house (which he did frequently, often stealing packets of cat treats which he'd take back home with him!). Our 3-legged tabby simply stopped going outside after a while as he became terrified of being pounced on.

We met the cat's owner, and I did explain that he was causing problems with our two but really, what can you do? The cat was neutered and well looked after and loved, but he was simply behaving like a Bengal. It wasn't fair to expect his owner to keep him shut in the house all day - he had as much right to be out and about as our two.

He wasn't at all violent with me or my husband, in fact he was very friendly, but it got to the stage where we bought one of those massive water pistols and used to spray it at him whenever he came into the garden which goes against all my cat loving instincts but we had to try and protect our cats. It didn't really work!

I'd like to say there's a solution but I'm afraid the only thing that thankfully changed our situation was that our neighbour moved, taking her beloved stripey warrior with her! I have to say it was a huge relief and our tabby is now enjoying the garden again.

I wish you luck and hope a solution presents itself.

[first mate]

Other posters are right, an intact tom is going to be more of a risk and it sounds like this cat is also very assertive and territorial, not all cats are.

Generally, a less territorial and pushy cat makes a better pet. In addition, this cat is of a breed and type that tends to be bigger and stronger than average, overall not suitable pet material where cars are forced to live cheek by whisker and where a strong instinct to claim territory causes nasty fights and stress all round. This cat needs a bigger territory and fewer competitors. Late neutering may help a bit but his behaviour us now learned and established.