The Independent hates bengals

Not sure quite where this should go but...
Has anyone in the UK read the Independent newspaper?? The We're loving, We're hating We're buying section has an anti-bengal article

The fault seems to lie with Debbie Connolly of www.safepets.co.uk, who claims that bengals get into lots of fights and exhibit anti-social behaviour.
ETA: As Debbie Connolly works with a Bengal rescue, and owns 3 Bengals herself (according to her website) it seems likely that the Independent took her words out of context.
Anyone want to join me in complaining to the Independent?

Here's Debbie's blog about it: http://madtrainer.blogspot.com/2009/...y-express.html

I have heard about bengal inter-cat aggression problems before. There are people who let their early gen cats roam freely outside which can cause problems in areas with a high density of domestic indoor/outdoor cats.

I don't think this is nearly as common a problem in the US because cats are kept indoors a lot more, especially purebred cats, what then eary gen bengals.

With indoor/outdoor cats in the UK (and most cats do go outdoors), behaviourists are most often called in to see Bengals (according to Vicky Halls, our top cat behaviourist!) because in an indoor/outdoor environment they tend to be very dominant and thus more prone to causing trouble with their feline neighbours than other breeds.

Another argument IMO for keeping cats indoors or indoor with restricted outdoor access, indoor/outdoor cats will get into situations regarding territorial disputes, and Bengals are often better at playing that particular game than other breeds or moggies. It's not IMO a negative thing - they are boisterous energetic cats after all, and a high energy cat will be more likely to show dominance towards its lower energy neighbours.

Absolutely.

Also it's not just bengals that can do this, the 2nd most common breed for these sort of territorial problems is the burmese in the UK. Before bengals became as widespread as they are now the burmese were the no 1 troublemaker.

But yeah I think it's important that people with indoor/outdoor cats are aware of this potential problem so that they are ready to react and will believe their neighbours if they come and tell them that the cat has been causing a lot of trouble in the neighbourhood.

It can be a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing where the cat is a great pet at home, a fabulous feline and gets along well with other cats in the house that are a part of his group but then has a very "pre-emptive" approach to his territority defence.

But yeah it can complicate things when you need your cat to get along with not just the 'home group' but also a bunch of other cats with territorities bordering on theirs.

Originally Posted by Siggav

Absolutely.

Also it's not just bengals that can do this, the 2nd most common breed for these sort of territorial problems is the burmese in the UK. Before bengals became as widespread as they are now the burmese were the no 1 troublemaker.

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Absolutely, Burmese used to be known for their awful temperament here - but that was the fault of many breeders who were actually quoted as saying (in some cases quite proudly!) that their cats personalities were very bad, they had awful temperaments, and didn't make good pets, but it didn't matter because they were the correct type, looked good, and won prizes at shows.

An awful indictment of breeding for the wrong reasons, and IMO not a good comparison - because if anything most Bengal breeders are concentrating on good temperament to dispel any myths about their small bit of wild heritage

That doesn't mean the Bengal isn't a dominant breed when it comes to outdoor territorial boundaries though, and that's not necessarily a negative point, I have Orientals and a Rex cross which also tend towards dominant personalities - but I do think it's less stressful for both them (as maintaining a territory is stressful) and their neighbours (defending it equally so!) to be kept indoors or have outdoor access through a catproofed area or enclosure.

Wow, I'm amazed. My neighbour had a Burmese that was the sweetest, most gentle little guy I've ever had the pleasure to meet. As soon as I picked him up he would snuggle right down in my neck under my chin and purr like crazy. He was also very small in stature - he was smaller than their Siamese.