We didn’t really want to write this article, but we’ve seen quite a few people online asking “where can I get rid of my Bengal cat?”
For whatever reason, you might have brought a Bengal cat into your home and now are unable to care for it.
Reasons for this might include:
- Change in circumstances (e.g. sudden move, downsize in house) – there’s a lot of this happening at the moment unfortunately due to the economic impacts of the Coronavirus crisis.
- Change in health – you may have suffered some kind of health issue that prevents you from being able to look after a cat properly.
- Your Bengal cat is driving you mad and you simply cannot live with it any more – unfortunately, this is one of the more common reasons we see why someone might want to get rid of their Bengal cat.
Although we would obviously prefer that owners keep their ‘forever pets’ forever, we do understand that there are various, genuine reasons why you might need to get rid of your Bengal cat. If so, then we want to help you to find the most effective and humane way of doing so that gives you the required resolution, but also which takes into account the needs of your cat.
Can You Live With Your Bengal?
The first step in our opinion is to make absolutely sure that there is nothing you can do to allow your Bengal cat to continue living in your home.
Changing households will be very distressing (in general) for your Bengal, so it’s worth exploring if you can keep your Bengal cat.
For example, if you are currently living in a house but downsizing in an apartment, that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your Bengal cat. Bengals can live perfectly safe and happy lives as indoors apartment cats.
If your Bengal’s behaviour is causing you issues, then look at whether or not there is anything you can change/modify in terms of living arrangements to mitigate the issue (e.g. excessive vocalisation) so that your Bengal can continue to live in your home.
Bengal Cat Shelters/Rehoming Agencies
One option for getting rid of your Bengal cat in a humane fashion is to look for a local Bengal cat shelter. Depending on where you live, there may be shelters or rehoming agencies that specialise in Bengal cats (we will discuss why shortly).
We suggest you look for a local option by Googling ‘Bengal cat shelter [my area]’ or “Bengal cat rehoming [my area]’ (where [my area] obviously equals your location, e.g. New York City).
Regular Cat Shelters/Rehoming Agencies
If you can’t find a specific Bengal cat shelter or rehoming agency, then your next alternative is to look for a regular cat shelter, agency, protection league or ‘SPCA’-type organisation.
Generally, an aim of these organisations is to provide a humane option for owners who are unable to deal with their pet any more.
Your cat can then hopefully be matched to a new owner.
One thing to bear in mind is that some pet shelters do not accept Bengal cats, due to their often challenging behaviour (hence our comment above about finding a Bengal-specific, or at least Bengal-friendly option).
Facebook Groups
If you cannot find a local SPCA/rehoming agency/cat shelter, then another option is to look at Facebook groups for Bengal cat owners. There are a number of them on Facebook (just go on there and search for Bengal cat group). Bengal owners tend to be very passionate about the breed, and there is a chance that a local owner may be happy to take the cat off your hands.
If you go down this path, it’s critical to ensure that you get to know whoever you will be giving the Bengal to, in order that you can satisfy yourself that your cat is going to a good home!
Classifieds
Another option for rehoming your Bengal cat is to put up a post in a local classified website, or national classified directory (e.g. Craigslist). Once again, as per the Facebook group strategy, it is important to “vet” anyone who may be taking possession of your Bengal cat, in order to ensure they are a suitable candidate and are going to do a good job of looking after your cat.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering “where can I get rid of my Bengal cat?”, then we hope this article is helpful. Although we’d prefer that you don’t rehome your Bengal (as this could be rather distressing – at least in the short term – for your pet) we also understand that there are some genuine reasons why this might need to happen.
The most important consideration through this process is to do whatever you need to do in a manner that is humane and ethical and taking your Bengal’s best interests to heart.
Provided you are able to do this, then you should be able to move forward with confidence.
Although a pet is a lifetime commitment, there are clearly some circumstances where this “rule” needs to be bent and/or broken.
