While bengal cats and shyness may not seem like they’d go together, some bengals may be shy and timid despite their reputation for sociability.
Bengal cats can be shy for a variety of reasons.
If your bengal cat was bought or adopted from a shelter, it may have had mostly negative experiences with humans and not trust you.
Many cats will take time to trust their owners and will naturally be more shy around them as they get used to their new living situation.
If bengals feel like they are not in control in their space then they can become scared of other people and animals.
Bengal cats descend from the Asian leopard cat which, despite being wild, is actually quite shy.
This shyness protects small, wild cats from being preyed upon.
In nature, being timid and scared of threats is crucial to survival.
For bengal cats, however, this shyness is unnecessary and you should work on relaxing your bengal, so it can become more social and enjoy living with you.
How Can You Help a Bengal Cat Get Over Their Shyness?
To help your bengal cat get over it’s shyness, you can try to spend more time with it without forcing interactions.
Your bengal cat needs to get used to being around you for it to understand that you are not a threat and it’s safe.
You can help your bengal cat get used to you by spending time in the same room with it and being in it’s general area without actually petting it or touching it.
Over time, your bengal should start to see you as someone they can trust being around and will not mind sharing the same space with you.
To speed up this process, you can feed them treats, give them catnip, and pet them when they come to you to encourage them to be more affectionate.
Once your bengal learns that it will be rewarded for displaying affection, it should become cuddly and will be more comfortable to sit on your lap or be petted.
Another way to help your bengal get over it’s shyness is to play with it.
Bengals naturally are very high energy and playful cats so using a toy that it can chase around will bring it out of it’s shell and help it be more relaxed in the environment it’s in.
Is It Common For Bengal Cats To Be Shy?
Overall, shyness in bengal cats is mostly uncommon.
Bengals are usually social cats known for their intelligence, curiosity, and verbal communication.
Most bengals are extraverted but each bengal cat will have it’s own personality and may be more social or more shy depending on it’s inherent traits and experiences.
If your bengal had any bad experiences with humans or other cats before you became it’s owner, that will have an impact on how shy and timid your bengal is.
For the most part, though, bengal cats are some of the most social domestic cats and will not typically display shyness or fear.
