# Bengal Cat Attacking Owners



## Stellalyra

Hello- 

I have a 9 mos old neutered male Begnal. I have had him since February. He has been a great member of my little family until now. 

A little background, he broke his elbow back in May and was in a cast for like 5 weeks, he is all better now. I am not sure if the trauma of his injury has change his personality or what?

He can become very aggressive and lunges at me and my husband. He bites, and I know he is not playing (I can tell the difference) he acts stressed and loses his hair, and puts his ears back, I push him away and he just lunges back at me. I toss him off the couch and he jumps right back up to bite and scratch me. I have tried "scuffing" him to subdue him, but that seems to enrage him more. 

I haven't been able to figure out a consistent trigger for the attacks either. If he is somewhere he isn't supposed to be I will pick him up and move him. I will go walking down the hall and before I know it he has snuck up behind me and latches on to my leg biting me. I scream and he runs away. The more serious attacks are the ones I described above, the only way I know how the neutralize the situation is to put him in the bathroom for like 10 minutes and wait for him to calm down. 

With all that being said- my question to all of you is if you have experienced something similar? Are there things I can do during an attack to calm him down? do I need to speak to my vet or a behavior specialist? I understood Bengal cats not to be aggressive, but is this just part of the breed I wasn't aware of?

HELP! Thanks,
Stellalyra.


----------



## Acacia86

I can't really help! But maybe he is still in pain? I would go to the vet and get him/her to give the cat a complete check up.


----------



## ellie8024

i would agree. taking him for a checkup would be the best option as cats act agressive when in pain


----------



## Stellalyra

Taking the little beastie to the vet on Monday! Will let you know =) Thanks!!!


----------



## hayleyb

that sounds like a good idea? im jst wonderin wat was his socialization like as a baby? im jst thinkin wat your describin especially him sneakin up sounds like playin but he was never taught by mum good and bad play then he doesnt realise hes crossin the line, if that makes sense.
abit like a child who has never been taught to share and goes and takes toys off other children.

see wat the vet says, if everythin is fine then maybe get a water bottle and spray him when he does this.


----------



## Elmstar

I agree, there's usually a reason and it sounds as though he may still be suffering.

We had a Queen who went a bit crazy after her last litter and she used to get so upset if she got a glimpse of one of the other adults that she'd launch herself at our legs and bite us even after we'd got the other cat out of her way. She's settled down now though and hopefully your boy will too.


----------



## welshlady

Hi I had a bengal kitten 6 yrs ago and she was a devil.... she was great with me but terrible to my other 2 cats, she once bit one of my cats foot and it swelled up awful took it to the vets and had a very bad infection.
she also use to open all my upstairs doors and wee on our beds except my sons....
for some reason she didn't like my hubby, and hes a cat lover and our 2 other cats adore him....heres a story that happened.
He came back one night after working till 12 in night had a shower and changed into comfy clothes then he got him self a nice glass on wine and sat down to watch tv... all of a sudden my bengal went and sat on his lap he couldn't believe his eyes, she cuddled up on his lap happy, then all of a sudden he felt this warm sensation going down his legs..... you guess she did .......wee all over him.....:blushing:
It was a shame but we had to re-home her in the end she was better off on her own without other pets....
She is doing great in her other home.:wink5:

This experience did not put me off this wonderful breed and we have a beautiful female kitten who is adorable and gets on great with my other cats and her fav person is my hubby she loves giving him cuddles and nothing else....


----------



## bengalboy

welshlady said:


> Hi I had a bengal kitten 6 yrs ago and she was a devil.... she was great with me but terrible to my other 2 cats, she once bit one of my cats foot and it swelled up awful took it to the vets and had a very bad infection.
> she also use to open all my upstairs doors and wee on our beds except my sons....
> for some reason she didn't like my hubby, and hes a cat lover and our 2 other cats adore him....heres a story that happened.
> He came back one night after working till 12 in night had a shower and changed into comfy clothes then he got him self a nice glass on wine and sat down to watch tv... *all of a sudden my bengal went and sat on his lap he couldn't believe his eyes, she cuddled up on his lap happy, then all of a sudden he felt this warm sensation going down his legs..... you guess she did .......wee all over him...*..:blushing:
> It was a shame but we had to re-home her in the end she was better off on her own without other pets....
> She is doing great in her other home.:wink5:
> 
> This experience did not put me off this wonderful breed and we have a beautiful female kitten who is adorable and gets on great with my other cats and her fav person is my hubby she loves giving him cuddles and nothing else....


LOL


----------



## WaveRider

Friends of mine have a bengal and at times acts rather aggressive. There are behaviours I have witness that have made me think that cats s WILD..... Even the method it uses to climb tree's. Like Rambo charged up! 

The cat would bring in dead animals as if it were on a production line! Once brought in a neighbours pet rabbit!

Surely you were aware that a bengal is not your typical tabby cat. 

Totally agree that you should have the cat checked up. However trying to condition it to behave like a 'normal' cat is questionable as this cat has some wild temperament to it.


----------



## Abooksigun

Hi, I just wanted to reply to this thread being a Bengal breeder.

Ok as for the 'they have wild tendencies' term, I think that can be used for any cat, whether the cat is of unknown heritage or pedigree. ALL cats are wild, they all trace back to a wild cat somewhere! Cats can't talk unfortunately so the only way to know if something is wrong is by behaviour change. Possibilites are yes the cat in question could be in a pain, or he is trying to show dominance. 

I hope that you sort out this situation & I wish you luck


----------



## Number 1

How long do you spend a day playing with him? I too have one that
loses fur but that's while playing with my other one. Ears going back I have seen in all my cats. 

Maybe try rigorous playing with him, half an hour in the morning and again at night.


----------



## janebayler

I have had 2 bengals and can confirm they are not like other cats. Aggression is often a problem, either directed towards other cats or owners, Bengals are more easy to train than other cats (like dogs) and your kitty needs to know the behaviour is unacceptable. I consulted a leading behaviourist who works with rescue bengals and she said that buying a large cage and putting them in it when they start the aggression works like a dream. She has successfully used this method on a number of Bengals that were considered too out of control to rehome and ended up with docile kitties. Worth a try....it's a bit like the naughty step for children!


----------



## noushka05

Abooksigun said:


> Hi, I just wanted to reply to this thread being a Bengal breeder.
> 
> Ok as for the 'they have wild tendencies' term, I think that can be used for any cat, whether the cat is of unknown heritage or pedigree. ALL cats are wild, they all trace back to a wild cat somewhere! Cats can't talk unfortunately so the only way to know if something is wrong is by behaviour change. Possibilites are yes the cat in question could be in a pain, or he is trying to show dominance.
> 
> I hope that you sort out this situation & I wish you luck


sorry to pick up on this but 'domestic' cats arnt wild....and infact new evidence has found that they were domesticated far far earlier than was previously thought..progenitors of today's cats split from their wild counterparts more than 100,000 years ago, on the otherhand the bengal has been developed from recent cross with a wild cat species.


----------



## LauraCats

Hi All! 
I work for the TV company Doghouse Media and we are currently looking for people who have had problems with their own or others cats being aggressive in the past for a new documentary we are making. The documentary is all about cat behaviour and why cats sometimes take against other pets or humans. I'd love to hear from anyone who has experienced this and learn about what happened. My email address is [email protected], please get in touch!


----------

