Bengal Cat yells and walks backward

by Mary
(Fort Lauderdale)

About two weeks ago, my bengal cat (1 1/2-male) came into my room and screamed and started walking backward with his left leg up. When I picked him up he stopped. Now on occasion, a couple of times a day he does the same thing. He is also biting the end of his tail ferociously all the time. He walks around being very noisy.

He is eating and pooping o.k. Have not taken him to the vet. Anyone have any ideas. Oh, a month ago he was choking on something, his tongue was hanging out. When we picked him up, he swallowed whatever it was. After that he started the yelling thing.

I have rubbed his tummy, checked his legs, and he does not cry when I do that.

Answer by KATE
Firstly do you know what he choked on? Did it pass through him or is it stuck inside, these are questions that may be a possible cause for your cats distress.

the other option is that he has a parasite infestation or an allergy to something, both can cause strange behaviour and biting of the skin and especially tail area.

My advice is please get him checked by a vet as soon as possible. Something is definately upsetting your cat and the sooner the problem is diagnosed the better it will be for your cat.

best wishes Kate

bengal cat owner

I have a 6 month old male bengal cat, which I've had since he was 12 weeks old. About 2 weeks ago I noticed that he can't jump on the bed. Jumping off isnt a problem. Now, he's not running around with our other cat. He keeps laying down on his side. His back legs seem very weak. He had a check up at the vet 3 weeks ago and all was well. I checked his legs, joints, pads for a splint --he isn't in pain. What would make him like this? Could it be a growing spurt? He does have very long legs. In every other respect, he acts normal except to jump up or run. Walking is ok. Any clues as to why this would happen?

Answer by Kate
Well no not really apart from that he may be feeling weak in some way. This could be anaemia or under nourishment. Their may be an underlying illness which is preventing his body from extracting and using all the nutrients in his food. A thyroid condition can sometimes do this.

if I were you I would take him back to the vets and ask for some further tests. This is defiantly not normal behaviour for a cat so young.

Hope all is well soon

best wishes Kate


same problem, resolved in 6 weeks
by: nia

Our bengal had the same thing happen to him, but he was a year old when it happened. There is a condition called 'bengal polyneuropathy' which might be what your cat has. The good news is, the condition usually leaves almost as quickly as it occurs. Our cat started wiping out when he tried to jump off anything, eventually degrading to being unable to even use his litterbox without our help. After about 6 weeks of tests and us taking care of him, he returned to normal. His xrays were fine (he did have loose kneecaps), his bloodwork was fine, there were no issues and everyone including a neurologist were baffled. He lost about two pounds, we fed him zukes hip action treats (2 a day), took him off wellness food and onto solid gold, almo nature and a few others for variety and now he is back to chasing the other cat like his old self. I know how alarming and worrying this is, but just be there for your cat, take her to specialists and hopefully she will be back to normal.

Bengal cat coat

by Tiger Lily
(Canada)

Tiger Lily is 2 years old and she has a hairless spot, the size of a dime, on her right thigh. Is this common, with Bengals? Her vet doesn't know why. I would appreciate your guidance.

Answer by Kate
well i cannot give you any advice specific to this breed but i very much doubt it is a genetic problem.
Balding spots can be caused by several thing and it your vet cannot find a reason then it must be behavioural rather than physical.

It could be down to over grooming in that area. Can I ask that you read my page about hair loss as it may give you some ideas to what the issue could be here is the page https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-hair-loss.html

best wishes Kate

Bengal Queen - Very jumpy

by Adrianne Morrison
(Birmingham)

Hi there,

I have a Bengal Queen called Chita. We have had chita for 11 months now. she is approx 3years old.

She is very hard work for a cat. she is very loud and requires a huge amount of attention. We have learnt to cope with the Loud crying and the attention but one thing that is worrying us is her jumpy and almost untrustworthy side.

For example, if she is sitting at the top of the stairs and one of us walks up, she will immediately run and go hide under the bed.

It is not very nice to think that our cat is scared and she seems so on edge ALL of the time.

Is there anything we can do? i dont think pheromones have any effect on Chita, is there anything else we could try?

I hope to hear from you soon, kind Regards

Answer by Kate
well in my experience some cats are just more jumpy than others. It does not necessarily mean they are scared all the time just more cautious of situations.

It also depends on what her early years were like, she may have not had much contact with humans or other animals or may even had some upset which has made her very nervous.

As for what you can do, well there is no magic cure I am afraid. it is simply a case for her to build trust and confidence in you and her new home. Make sure she has plenmty to keep her amused and distracted. You do not want a bored cat. See my page here under cat care about indoor cats and cat play.

I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep on giving her love and attention and make sure she has places she can call her own and get away from things when she needs too. I'm sure that it just a time issue.

best wishes https://www.our-happy-cat.com/indoor-cats.html

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