# Rescued Bengal - Please help - Biting problem



## ohm (Jul 24, 2005)

Hello everyone,

I"m new to the forum and I REALLY need help. Here's the story:
I adopted a Bengal from a Bengal rescue group. apparently my kitty was mistreated by the previous owner (a breeder stopped taking care of her cats and locked them in her garage and enclosed them with chicken wire..they could barely move)

When we first got her she was so loving and wanted to be around me ALL the time and sit in my lap. I work full time and so does my husband so we leave her at home during the day. When we get home from work she usually wants to play (don't blame her) and if are do something else she bites us. but this isn't any play biting...this is teeth-clamped-down-drawing-blood-and-leaving-scars-for-MONTHS biting.

I know she does it for attention...she wants to be played with and loved...but it's not right that she does it EVERY time she wants attention...

we've been told that when she bites to gab her by the skin on the back of her neck (like her mother would have) and growl a little then pet her...
that has helped (she used to bite even more than she does now) but we've reached a plateau with her.

SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! I love my kitty so much and want her to stop being so aggressive so I can show her how much i love her.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thanks in advance for your help!

Best,
Lore

side note: shes between 1-2 years and (we've had her since february)


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## DylansMummy (May 23, 2004)

For any agression they say the best thing to do is say "NO" sternly and/or go limp when she bites. If you fight or pull away she'll just bite more. My brain is a lil frazzled right now so can't think of much else  Try searching play agression on here to find more topics 

Hopefully someone else will be of more help!

Hayley x x


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## lunatora (Apr 7, 2005)

Sometimes if you blow on them, the cat will let go :wink:


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## Zalensia (Aug 25, 2003)

Actually I wouldnt recomend blowing on them (Sorry)
This will only cause them to snap, and if you use it as a regular punishment they will learn that when a face comes towards them its gonna cause them discomfort, and may snap at a child or innocent person.
I agree with what dylansmummy said. I dont know how well cats would associate you getting angry (the growling) and then try to ignore her, or put her in another room for 5 mins. Hopefully she would learn that if she does the biting she gets left out.


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## ohm (Jul 24, 2005)

thanks everyone for your replies. just to add to what i had origanaly posted. we tried the stern "no" - that doesn't work. we've tried putting her in another room, and she causes a mess in the other room and meows VERY loud (she's a talker and we live in an apartment so we don't want to disrupt the neighbors and get evicted). I 've tried the bottle of water, the air..none works. should i maybe talk to a behaviorist?

thanks again!
ohm


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## Stephie (Feb 4, 2005)

Hi, sorry to hear you are having a problem with your Bengal girl. Many more people on this site are more knowledgeable about cat behaviour than I but I do have Bengals so I know quite abit about their temperament. Firstly, although generally speaking they make lovely friendly pets, due to their genetic makeup, their personalities can be a little unpredictable (do you know anything about her pedigree?). They are known for having the “Bengal Bite” and are very demanding in terms of attention so the first issue is that when you do get in from being out all day really she does just need that attention. Easier said than done I know but it seems that this behaviour is her asking for something and that something is some of your time and attention.

From what you have said the poor little thing has been kept in dire circumstances previously but she was used to having other company and maybe she is missing that by being alone all day. I am sure you look after her very well  but maybe she needs some more toys to play with when you are out which will keep her entertained more than just little mousies? My Bengal girl loves those ping pong balls in a ring and will play with them for hours, and also her cat climby frame with balls on string hanging down but I still need to have a good half an hour making a fuss of her before I do anything else when I get home. And I know what you mean about the vocals - I keep waiting for neighbours to complain!

In terms of the biting, if she is holding you with her claws or teeth you need to try and resist the urge to struggle free or it will only get worse. Instead “try”  to stay calm and do not move. Don’t try to pry her mouth open or shout at her but try with your free hand to gently calm her by softly stroking her paws and then her paw pads until she lets go - all the while try speaking gently to calm her. When she has let go, keep stroking her (keep hands away from teeth and claws!) and then when she is calm leave her alone for a little while to calm down.

If the behaviour doesn’t get any better then consulting an expert behaviourist might do the trick - poor thing may still be suffering from stress from her bad experiences, but aggression is likely to get worse when she is stressed, she has had a couple of big changes in environment and she is maybe also a little bit confused. Resist the urge to punish her as this is likely to add to her stress and make things worse.

Hope things improve for you all


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## SLICK (Apr 2, 2005)

What ''F'' generation is he?, if he's close to the wild generation which is F1 to F3, called foundation cats, sometimes have that type of behavior, it is only an F4 and beyond are considered domesticated, but i know a lot of people who have foundation cats and are behaving just fine, bengals need to interact with their owners more to prevent this type of behavior, i have a bengal as well, good luck.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

I've never had a bengal but I do have a cat that used to be a biter. He was nearly 1 yr when I found him and had never learned not to bite. Whenever he was lplaying or wanting attention he'd bite HARD! If he had my arm, leg whatever in his mouth I started very gently pressing it into his mouth. He'd be completely confused and let go. As said above, never pull away. Firstly it becomes a game but also it'll inflict a lot more damage to you! I'd also completely ignore him for a few minutes everytime he'd get too rough. I think any attention, good or bad, is what they're after. He stoped biting hard very quickly when he realized he'd get ignored. Also, a lot of play-time with toys and ribbon. Don't use your hands. And maybe your baby is lonely all day. From what I understand Bengals are highly intelligent and therefore probably need a lot of stimulation. Lots of interesting toys and maybe a friend? If none of that works I'd check out a specialist. Good luck!


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