Bengal Tricks Shared By Pet Owners

My Bengal, Elmo, likes paddling around in the bath like many other Bengals. After reading "Why Cats Paint" Henry and I bought some tubes of nontoxic acrylic paint and squeezed a small amount in the bottom of the bath. Elmo sniffed it and then dabbed at it with his paw. It made a streak. He then tried to chase the streak and made a paw print. He then went bananas and puffed his tail up and painted lots of streaks on the bottom of the bath, no longer by accident. Now he knows where I keep the paint tubes and he races with me to the bathroom as soon as he sees me get them out. This is a really great game, but it's really messy! Try to get water soluable paints; its easier to clean up! I can't guarantee all Bengals will do this, but it seems a natural extension of their habit of pawing at water. --Claire

Well, I don't know that I can say that Bengals like to swim. But they sure do like to play in water. I have one that takes bubble baths with my 9 year old daughter. The cat doesn't actually swim. She just walks around in the water and plays with the bubbles. I have the most hilarious photos of her with bubbles on her chin. Her older sister doesn't like to be totally immersed in water-she's a dabbler. I try to keep a basin of water in the bathtub for her to play in, otherwise she plays in the toilet. She will also dabble in the water bowl and any stray glasses of water sitting around.

One night as we were in bed trying to fall asleep, I heard this yell from my daughter for the cat to stop. My daughter had left a Dixie cup of water sitting on the head of the bed and the cat was dipping her paw in and splashing it on my daughter. When she plays in the basin of water in the bathtub, she puts both front legs in, stands there and paws the water with one paw. As close as I can figure, she is moving the (non-existant) pond scum. I have heard of Bengals that take showers with their owners. Mine do not fetch, but nothing would surprise me. My sister has one that jumps up and turns on the overhead ceiling fan. If you want a fun cat that will keep you amused for hours, a Bengal is just the cat for you. --Bonnie

Bengals are a RIOT. I have one that not only fetches, she plays tug-of-war, catches stuff in her paws, and plays chase and hide and seek. My other Bengals love water, and do step into the shower on occasion. My roommate gets annoyed when I leave the bathroom faucet on for my Bengals to play, because we have a well, and the pump runs right outside her bedroom window. For a long time, she thought there was a leak or a toilet was running. Not a problem, I assured her; I just left the faucet on for Mau and Djibouti. I vote for a Bengal. --Beverly