New Bengal

Hi fellow cat lovers! Recently (about 4 days ago) I obtained my second bengal, a beautiful snow who is 1 year old. I was told he is an F4, but there's no paperwork to back that up. He has rosettes and looks like my current SBT to me. He was already neutered and all that good stuff, but I am his 4th home in only a year.

He is very scared and has stayed in the closet in his room. I don't think anyone took the time to mess with this poor cat. When I went to get him they shut him in a room and I could hear him bouncing off the walls and meowing as they tried to catch him. I did get him playing with toys though, and he's comfortable enough to get close to me as long as I don't touch him.

My question is how do I go about getting him used to being handled? I know it's going to be a long time probably before he's ok with any type of affection. I'm scared to death because he must go to the vet Monday for disease testing (blood work), vaccinations which I don't think he's ever had, worming and wellness exam. I have other pets so it's very important to me that he be given a clean bill of health before exposing them to eachother, I'm also a bit neurotic about my animals...

Anyways, I'm just looking for some tips maybe. Some introduction tips would also be greatly appreciated as I have never had to introduce a new cat to a resident cat before.... this little fella is actually my second cat ever, and of course I chose a breed that isn't really a beginners cat to be my first. I think I manage them well though, or at least I hope! I'm worried I bit off more than I can chew, but I'm determined and willing to do whatever I need to to help him flourish here.

Thanks in advance for any advice! Here is a picture just because I'm so proud of my new fur child

Definitely keep him in a small room for now, but ideally somewhere you can block off obscure hiding places that you can't reach and has room for you to sit quietly with him. Then you can provide him with hiding places that are safe and still easily accessible, like cardboard boxes. 

For the vet visit, if you can lure him into a carrier with food or a toy it would be the least stressful, but you might have to corner him and wrap a towel around him to get him in there unfortunately. Wearing long sleeves, long pants, and gloves would be a good precaution. There's just not enough time to teach him that he's safe before then, and a vet visit is very important. Make sure this vet is experienced with handling extremely scared cats. You don't want to put the cat through all that stress only to bring him in and find out that they won't examine him.

You might have success adapting some of the techniques from this guide: http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-cats-how-socialize-very-shy-or-fearful-cat. You don't necessarily need to have a cage if he has a box he likes to stay in while you're with him that he feels safe in.

Go slowly. The goal is to help him understand that he is safe and you are not a threat. Respect his boundaries as much as you can, while slowly introducing concepts like petting and handling. Obviously the vet visit is going to start things off on a distrustful note, but that is recoverable with enough time, treats, and toys. If he seems really receptive to the cat on the other side of the door, then it might be helpful to start introducing them earlier. Sometimes cats will trust other cats before they trust people, so seeing another cat interact positively with a person can be helpful for the socialization process. But, if the cat seems just as shy or more afraid of the other cat than of you, it's best to wait until he's socialized with you before starting the introductions. When you get to that point, these guides can be helpful:

 [article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

 [article="29726"]Introducing Cats To Cats​[/article]  

Creating a routine is also very helpful for nervous cats. They feel safer when they know what to expect next.

Congratulations on your new cat. I'm glad he found a good home.

molly92 thanks so much, I will definitely take a look at those links. He has went from cowaring in a corner to hissing at me. I know this is a because he's scared so I don't try to approach him or try to force anything. I play with him, sit in the room while he eats, and lay on the bed talking to him and playing on my phone. He comes up and is curious, but no touching. I just feel so bad for him

I took in a Siamese a few years back that lacked proper socialization. He was a stray, but no doubt he was dumped by a previous owner (one of the few cats I have rescued that I have no doubt is purebred.)

He was injured ehen I got him and knew we weren't going to be able to handle him. So, told the vets from the get-go that we would just sedate and then access. It was the best thing for all involved.

I kept him confined to an x-large wire dog crate for a good 4 months as he healed from his wounds and I worked on socializing and gaining his trust. Once he was healed and trusted me enough to touch him I let him out of the crate and into a secure room.

It's been about 2 years now and he is an absolute sweetheart! Still apprehensive around new people (growls/hisses), but loves to be petted, picked up and will give kisses!

He no longer needs sedation when going to the vet (though we went prepared for it at his first annual visit...they were even able to pull blood on him without issue!)

I say all this as it is likely that he will need to be sedated at this first vet visit in order to get the complete work up you are wanting (which I think is great!)

I also encourage you to consider confining him to a small space so that you can work on gaining his trust. It's hard to do this when they have access to an entire house (regardless how big/small the house is.) The introductions with the other cats can wait a bit. Just let him get used to his new surroundings and all the new smells.

catpack thanks! I fear he will need sedated. I told my vet he is very scared and not used to being handled. Luckily, my vet has experience with wildlife as he's treated some injured animals that were to be released back into the wild, so I think he's probably used to very frightened animals with sharp claws and teeth.

As of right now he has my guest room to himself, he is not allowed out. I would guess he will be in there at least a month. He has a spot in the back of the closet he hides, but he's been coming out and even smelling me. He's super interested, he just gets scared and hisses if he thinks I might touch him. But he absolutely loves toys, I don't think he's ever seen them before!

I certainly have to say that this boy is very lucky to have landed in your care! Please keep us updated on his progress!

You can continue using this thread for any questions you may have regarding his behavior, care and integration.

CatPack said:

I certainly have to say that this boy is very lucky to have landed in your care! Please keep us updated on his progress!

You can continue using this thread for any questions you may have regarding his behavior, care and integration.

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Thanks so much! I'm so happy to have him, I just hope I can help him and I'm going to try my hardest to. I really appreciate all the wonderful people on this site too there are so many informative and kind people here!

My friend has a Bengal and sound like you have some work cut out for you! The are spectacular felines and I would love to own but they require more care than my time allows. Diet and interaction is very important but you likely know that! Please post images as your new furry friend grows to know you. Lot of patience will be required. I am the elected one who takes care on my friends two bengals. Thanks god they know me!

jaxtabby yes they are a LOT of cat lol I have an SBT Bengal currently (will leave a pic) that is a wrecking ball. He's so smart he learned to open the baby locks on the cabinets. Now if I don't play with him enough or feed him on time he knocks a glass out to remind me he needs something. Can't have nothing nice haha It's going to be interesting when they finally do meet because Spartacus (resident cat) hasn't seen another cat since he came from the breeder. Midas (that's his name now) has been around other cats, and is apparently very rough with them, which worried me because Spotapus us also rough with my dogs and he's 14#. Midas is only 8-9#

I am the elected one to care for two of these crazy cats when they go on vacation or business trips. They live next door so I get to spend a good bit of time with them. They are so athletic they can jump from the bottom floor to the loft where I have to take the stairs. I love to lay on the floor and have them both approach and walk over me. Got to be careful as they can hurt with out intending to do so. They are handsome cats for sure demanding way more than my three boys.

I feel privileged to have gained their trust where other have tried and failed.

jaxtabby I wish you were my neighbor! My mom watches mine when I travel, but I miss a lot of family trips. I have missed a few vacations and holidays because of my animals, but they're worth it. It would be neat to have someone right next door I trust to come take care of them if I needed though!

I consider MYSELF to be the lucky one to be able to take care of them.

Just an update for anyone interested.

Midas has done a complete 180°. He loves attention, and shows me his belly often now he actually likes tummy rubs! I can now stroke him along his whole body, and he will roll around and let me touch his feet and tummy with no issues. I even got brave and picked him up. He was scared but did not fight me or scratch/bite.

I have to say I'm astonished at the progress we've made in such a short time. The women who gave him to me told me he was wild and wouldn't let you touch him, now he rubs on me and follows me around. Still pretty skittish, but so much better than he was.

Tomorrow is the first vet visit, I hope it doesn't set our progress back too much, but as soon as he's got a clean bill of health he will be allowed short supervised visits with the other critters. He's been playing with my other Bengal under the door, and they both want to meet already!

Thanks for all the helpful links and suggestions, you guys are great! Here's a pic of the happy boy.