I am and always have been a dog person. But let's be real, being a full time student, working two jobs and two internships make it so hard to be a responsible dog owner some days. That's why I always recommend dog lovers who are too busy for a puppy to look into Bengal Cats! It's great for young, busy students to have a furry friend at home, but sometimes life is too busy to train a fast growing puppy not to chew your favorite kicks.

It’s like a dog with far less responsibility

Do you want a little heart beat at your feet greeting you when you walk in the door? Bengals hate when you leave the house, and always come up to say hi to you and your company. Some even like to play fetch and go on walks.

They make any house/apt a bit more exotic

My favorite thing anyone has said about my cat, Ouija, was when a friend came over and met him and said “he makes your apartment way more exotic.” It’s like a mini leopard running around your room, but a lot less destruction.

They love to talk

Bengals are kind of like babies, they make noises but you don’t ever really know what they mean. They could be hungry, curious, bored or just begging for attention. Ouija loves to howl and make weird cat noises staring at the wall before trying to scale the walls. Cats love to be high up, and Bengals are no exceptions. Ouija’s favorite spot is balancing on the top ledge of an open door. You can totally have a conversation with your Bengal when you're home, struggling to finish a paper and on your fifth glass of wine.

Bengals love water

Cups, showers, the sink, the Brita. Anything with water in it or running drives Bengals wild. Some of them even like to swim! I haven’t tried that yet; since I live in a city but I have a feeling Ouija might enjoy it with some coercion. If I leave the bathroom door cracked just a little when I’m in the shower, Ouija always runs in to sit on the ledge and try to drink the falling water. The only downside to their water obsession is that you have to vigilantly watch any glass of water you pour. As you can be sure they will drink from it, then knock it over, and drink from the spilled water on your floor.

You can walk them

I don’t care how crazy I may look, Bengals love the outdoors. Since they are such cool, exotic looking cats I would never let him outside without a leash in fear of someone snatching him up. But regardless he loves to be outside on a leash. We got him a retractable one so he has lots of room to run and chase birds and climb the trees. Only put your cat on a harness, they are so smart and sneaky so they could slip out of a normal collar.

Many of them love dogs

My cat and dog, Luna, have been best friends ever since we got him as a little kitten. They love to play and run around the house and once that’s all over, cuddle up together. They keep each other company while they’re home alone and love to get into trouble (aka the trash can).

They’re sneaky in the cutest way

Cats are usually nocturnal animals. They sleep all day in the sun light and get crazy energy at night and bounce around the house. So normally, we don’t let the cat in the bedroom while sleeping since he can be a bit loud playing. He has caught on to this though, and knows when it’s getting close to bedtime. Once we start getting ready for bed, he runs into the bedroom, hides under the bed and stays there until he thinks we’re asleep. Then he pops out and jumps on the bed to snuggle for a bit. It’s the cutest thing.

They’re hypoallergenic

This is great news for anyone who is allergic to cats! My boyfriend is very allergic and we were nervous he would have an issue with the cat but Bengals are hypoallergenic. You may sniffle a bit at first, but your allergies grow immune to any dandruff they may produce.

Like most cats, they’re a cheaper form of pest control

This is a pro and a con of having any cat. You will never need to call pest control for mice running around your kitchen. But you will wake up to a dead mouse outside of your bedroom door as a little gif from your furry friend.

Softest. Fur. Ever.

I don’t know what it is with Bengals, but they’re fur is so silky and soft. The spots on them are so so cool but I was so surprised at how soft they were! When Ouija was a kitten, his fur looked so fuzzy and crazy, but trust me they grow into it. Bengals are seriously the CUTEST kittens.