So you’re thinking of introducing a Bengal cat into your home and family?
We congratulate you on your madness …
… just joking (sort of).
In this article we are going to answer the following question:
“Are Bengal cats Good family pets?”
This a common question we see asked on a regular basis, so it’s important to determine whether or not Bengal cats actually are suitable as family pets – or if they are suited to more “relaxed” living conditions without children.
In order to determine if Benga cats are good family pets, we need to satisfy ourselves on a few key points:
* Are Bengals affectionate? Kids are going to want a pet that shows a good level of affection. It will be a tough sell to introduce a non-affectionate cat into your family.
* Are Bengals good with children? It’s one thing for an animal to be good with adults … but kids are a totally different breed. We need to make sure that Bengals are good with children before they can be considered as a suitable family pet.
* Are Bengals aggressive? This ties in to the two points above – an aggressive feline is not a good family pet option!
Let’s dive deeper into each point:
Are Bengal Cats Affectionate?
Long story short, Bengal cats are affectionate. However, compared to some other breeds of cats they have a tendency to be affectionate on their own terms. This means that their temperament can sometimes come across as being a bit aloof.
If the definition of a good family pet to you is one that is affectionate all the time, then a Bengal cat may not be the best choice.
In fact, if this is right at the top of your priority list, then a dog may be an even better option.
You can read more about Bengal cat affection on our guide here.
Are Bengal Cats Good With Children?
The next point we need to look at is whether or not Bengal cats are good with children. For the purpose of this exercise, we are assuming that a good family pert needs to be one that is good with kids.
In our experience and from what we can see from contemporaneous accounts on blogs, forums, Facebook groups etc, Bengal cats are generally good with children.
However (and this links in with our point above about Bengal cat affection) they can sometimes become irritated with kids.
This is generally because children – especially younger ones – will pester a cat until it has had enough.
So although Bengal cats aren’t inherently good with children, they aren’t the best either.
As the saying goes, “your mileage may vary” but ultimately this is an important point to consider.
Are Bengal Cats Aggressive?
The final point we need to look at is whether or not Bengal cats are aggressive.
An aggressive animal does not make a good family pet.
The truth is that Bengal cats have been noted to show perhaps slightly higher rates of aggressiveness than the “average” cat population.
However, we don’t think this is anything to be concerned about. There are certainly no scientific studies out there saying that all Bengal cats are serial killers in disguise, or anything like that.
Therefore, you are probably perfectly safe with a Bengal in this regard.
Conclusion
As you can see, Bengal cats have the potential to be great family pets.
There are some caveats (namely that Bengals can sometimes show higher than average levels of aggression, and are very much affectionate on their own terms).
If all you want is the ‘easiest possible’ cat in your family, then you are probably better off with a moggy/tabby cat or some other breed.
