Bengal cats are known to be one of the most active cat breeds (read our article here on whether or not Bengal cats are high energy).
That means that they are jumpy and playful feline ancestors. Their high level of energy warrants regular physical activity. Whereas this is a positive attribute, some home owners can get tired of it, or find it an inconvenience. A lot of Bengal cat owners ask if their Bengal cat will calm down as it ages. This article will guide you on this pertinent question:
Do Bengal Cats Calm Down With Age? What You Need To Know
The simple answer is “maybe”.
As the Bengal cat grows in age, it is going to naturally lose some of the energy it had in its younger years.
However, if it does, it may only be a slight change, and this change is not going to be significant. However, this should not be a turn off if you want to acquire a Bengal cat. A Bengal cat, as a matter of fact, can be trained to tone down on their level of energy.
By the time your Bengal cat is one year old, it could start to calm down. Between age one and four, cats tend to mellow out. By age four, kitten behavior disappears. However, as stated earlier, this is as far as it can go, and its relatively high energy level likely remains.
It is important that you train your Bengal cat to be less calm. If you do not, then it will resort to destructive behavior. The best way of managing this is teaching your Bengal kittens to be calm. When this is done at an early age, the chances of success are higher.
As a pet owner, you should have a habit of saying no to a cat the moment you realize that a certain behavior is inappropriate. This should be done without yelling at the cat. When you tell a cat no in a polite way, it will know it is misbehaving, and therefore stop.
Another trick used by pet owners is to make the cat tired, so that it can rest on its own volition. For example, the Da Bird fishing toy is known to sap energy from the cat as it plays thereby rendering it helpless in a while. An indoor cat tree is another solution that helps to keep the behavior of the cat in check. Cats enjoy climbing up and down. There are other toys available in the market which can make your Bengal cat drain away his or her excess energy! Check out our guide here to the best toys for Bengal cats.
Bengal cats are known to have a high affinity to play with water, and to some extent, an obsession. They will play in water for quite some time, which can be a great way to wear them out. The Bengal cat can also enjoy pawing as well as catching goldfish.
Learning to bond with your cat could as well be the panacea to the various challenges that could threaten your relationship with the cat. Bengal cats are not going to have affection towards their owners. Some pet owners say that as the Bengal cat familiarizes itself to the environment, it can calm down.
There are incidences where Bengal cats attack the owner, much to their surprise. Because a Bengal cat is a descendant of the Asian Leopard Cat, its temperament can be wild and uncontrollable when compared to other cats. However, you need to understand that a cat may not know what its doing, therefore, do not blame it for what it has done. Bengal cats may not differentiate between playing and fighting.
Lastly, as you try to calm down your cat, know that harsh discipline is not going to work. A cat is not going to appreciate punishment. Any form of aggressive behavior is going to alienate your cat. If this goes on for a long term, then the cat is going to fear you, and this will not help matters. However, you can withdraw a reward in order to change the behavior of the cat. For instance, you may refuse to play with the cat until it changes.
Conclusion
However much you may target to tone down the activities of a Bengal cat, you need to accept that you may not do much after all.
Your Bengal cat will remain inherently active and energetic. And if you accept that and embrace it, then the better for both of you.
