Bengal Owners...please come in :)

My husband and I are debating what type of cat to get. I want a ragdoll because I hear they shed minimally, have great personalities and are not jumpers. My husband wants a bengal solely for the way they look, which is cool I admit it! I have been to different websites/forums and have been reading a lot of nightmare stories about bengals! Can someone please offer some positive bengal stories and traits so I can become more open-minded about possibly getting one?? How is their shedding? Personality?? Do they scratch/bite alot?? Thanks all!

Bengals are great cats! Like any breed, it has to be a cat that matches your needs/personality!! They are quite different from ragdolls. My girl is very active, demanding, sometimes a bit destructive (her favourite 'game' is to walk along a shelf/table etc. and knock everything on the floor, to hear what kind of sound it might make!), and extremely stubborn; I would not change her for the world! Jazmine is not a lap cat, and does not like to be carried around, but is very affectionate on her own terms. She is extremely aggressive when people try to control her; she cannot go to the vets without sedation. (Not all Bengals are like this!!) She is also very smart, and very playful, still acting very much like a little kitten. She also loves water, and plays in the shower daily.
If you are worried about jumping, a Bengal may not be for you; my small female can jump 6 feet vertical without any kind of running start.

I have 2 Bengals and 2 Siamese. If you want a quiet, easy going cat, than a Bengal is NOT for you. The are super active, and they jump and climb A LOT. My Simba is constantly getting into mischief, and he's a lot more stubborn than my Siamese cats. He's a sweet beautiful boy, and he's loads of fun, but he's a lot of work. He is always in to everything. He's also very vocal, even more than the Siamese cats. If you don't want an active, in your face cat, that requires a LOT of attention, I would suggest you don't get a Bengal, just based on the looks. You'll end up being unhappy with the cat. If you want a cat that wants to play a lot, and wants to play fetch like a dog, and you have the patience to deal with the little messes they make like knocking things down contantly and getting into everything, then a Bengal will be a great cat for you. Bengal's are lots of fun, and a joy to have around, but they are NOT mellow, and they are not for everyone. Bengal's require a lot of attention. My Bengal boy hangs out on the tops of doors and climbs any and everything he can like it's a jungle gym. My female Bengal Angel, is much more mellow, but I think it's because she's still not used to my home, yet.

If you do end up getting a Bengal, you'll need to Bengal proof your home, and keep delicate breakable things out of harms way, because NOTHING is safe from a Bengal getting into it.

I have a Bengal and a Ragdoll. Ragdolls are wonderful,but they do shed a lot. I can tell where Dodger has been by the trail of white fluff .

If you don't want an active, in your face cat, that requires a LOT of attention,

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HopeHacker has stated this to a tee. Bullit is very much in your face cat. He is very vocal and I can tell by his cry what he wants. He is into everything and like stated before if you are house proud and like to show off breakables,a Bengal is not a good choice. He was easy to train,but will test you. It is so cute when Bullit is scolded,he will look at you with big eyes and give this cutest squeaky meow. A Bengal will keep you very busy,but you will never feel alone with one. They are great company and packed full of personality.

I love my girl Meeka. Shes a little livewire. Sometimes I think she is flying because she sort of bounces off of the furniture when she is playful. Of course she has a playbuddy (Savannah) of the same age so they race through the house in chase. Meeka loves her food and can put quite a bit down in one sitting.

She is an early generation, F3. She loves sleeping on us. She is a little cautious of strangers...very curious and will go right up to them but that is not always an invitation for them to pet her. After a while if the new people play with her then she won't mind . Feather toys don't last long in this household, it takes about 15 minutes for them to be torn apart. But they loooove feathers! The vocalizations are sooo diverse. Others are right in that you can tell exactly what they want by their noises...I say noises because they are certainly not meows and my fiance and I joke that it sounds like she is whining sometimes. I'll meow at her and sometimes she tries to imitate my meow, its so cute .

I've never really heard any horror stories about them...unless you are referring to the early development of the breed when there might have been some poor breeding practices. But nowadays people really do breed for a good temperment. There are also some false rumors relating to them entered in CFA shows and such.