Bengal Kitten Behavior Help!

Hi

I love my Bengal kitten Leonard. He is adorible, plays fetch, welcomes us when we come home, and is quite a cuddlebug at night time.


BUT...he is very BAD!
-He eats the other cat's food
-Jumps on the tables
-Gives us a heart attack every time he tight-rope walks along the stair rail (which has a two story drop to the floor below)
-Hides when we open the front or garage door so he can try to make an escape to the forbidden outside (not yet sucessful, but it's just a matter of time...)

I have tried all the traditional ways of deterring him, but nothing works. He is very smart and I am pretty sure he knows he is being silly...Anyone with a Bengal out there with some suggestions?

We are waiting for another kitten from the breeder (to be born within the week) do you think having a kitty to play with will help him stop doing things to get attention?

Also, will this improve once he is neutered?

Thanks a bunch in advance for any advice!

I am not a breeder but a parent of a bengal cross and your baby is just being that a baby...

Zoey will be two in two weeks and she climbs anything she can find to climb... be it a door frame , counter or a convenant human ...

Bengals are as a whole very active and extremely kittenlike cats...

Doesn't sound bad to me, sounds like a typical, active, loving kitten.

I had to remove your photograph. It was way oversized. Photos are welcomed in Fur Pictures

Well, maybe I didn't explain well enough. Today when I came home he had obviously jumped on the mantel, caused a 3 foot tall picture to fall off (and break), and then somehow pushed off the topiaries. I have had 4 cats before and none of them did that before!

I don't want bad habits to form. We just were eating dinner and he jumped on the table over 20 times. Each time we gently took him off, said NO and tapped his butt. Each time he'd just jump right back up.

The power went out this evening and we had to sit in the dark because we were afraid if we lit candles he would attack them!

PS Sorry the pic was too big, I thought it was hosted through my www site.

welcome to kittenhood... they climb they get on thing s ... you have to kitty proof...

Tapping their butt is not recommended- hiss at him or put him in his own room with food, water, toys and litter pan when you eat.

Neutering him, and getting him a companion should both help. For advice on his behaviors, just read the other posts here in the behavior forum. Although being a bengal may mean he is higher energy and activity than other cats, the behavior interventions will still work.

To keep him from rushing the door, place a vacuum nearby, unplugged but turned on. When he goes near the door, someone plugs in the vacuum. He learns to associate the unpleasant loud noise with the door, and stops seeing the door as a fun game.

Also, you will need to use lots of active play with your kitten. This will help keep him real social, while wearing him out.

As for jumping on the table...have you ever watched cats eat together? The pushiest one gets the food. So Leonard is just being a smart and pushy kitten, trying to get your food. Since you haven't hissed and swatted him, kitty style, and you really can't...shutting him in a separate room while you eat, like Hissy said, is the best. When he gets older and calms down, it probably won't be necessary. But for now, all he has learned is that by jumping on the table, he gets to snitch treats! (My cats did the same thing as kittens, and none do it any more!)

My bengal cat is very "active" as I like to say. He is bad sometimes, but he is too cute to get mad at. I think it's just the nature of this breed to be curious and playfull, even as they get older.

sorry, I had the link wrong. i had begal instead of bengal You should come join in the conversation.