Hi,
We will be picking up our new female Bengal at the end of August. We have two teenagers who are very good with animals a staffie called Corrie & an 18 month female Bengal Bella (spayed) who both get on very well. We live in a large family home with an outdoor enclosure, cat wheel & everything else an indoor cat could want.

In preparation for the new arrival I purchased a large dog crate, I had heard that the newcomer should go in there to start the introduction process. I'm planning on having the kitten (in crate) in the living room? how long does this intro process take. The crate will have all the necessities plus toys etc etc.......

Congratulations on the upcoming arrival. Your kitty needs to be separated and away from everything and have its own space for at least the first couple of weeks. This is called a "safe room." Know that when a new kitty arrives, there are new smells, new people, other animals, huge spaces, and this can be overwhelming for the new kitty. You seem to have a busy household, so noise could be an issue as well.This also allows a quarantine type of period in case there are any health issues with the kitty or your other cat.

The safe room should have the litter box, toys, bed. It's not that you have lock the kitty away. Visit with the kitty, hold the kitty, play with the kitty, but keep it separate from the other animals. You can "scent" swap -- taking towels, blankets or other things that belong to the other animals and put them in the room so your new arrival gets used to the scent -- same with the kitty's stuff. Make sure your dog and other cat get a whiff of that.

Naturally, the first introduction would be with someone holding the kitten and allow the other animals to come up and sniff. Don't just set the kitten on the floor and see what happens. Once everyone is aware of everyone else, feed the kitten in the same general area and at the same time as the other pets. You would also bring out toys and play with both cats at the same time (one person entertaining each cat with toys).

Since you have kids, they can help with this in distracting the cats with toys. You may find your kitten gets along better with your dog. Always make sure you supervise when the kitten is around the other animals until you're confident they are getting along,

I know you want to integrate your family ASAP, but I would not start off with putting the kitten into the crate. Your kitten may not realize she is safe from the noses of a prying dog and cat. Use a separate room (bathroom will do). In fact, if you do the introduction right, you won't need a crate.

You seem to have the proper accessories, except you didn't mention a cat tree. Bengals love to climb so you're going to have to have something with height -- shelves on the wall, stacked cubes, or your bengal will be jumping on every piece of furniture you have. An outdoor enclosure is perfect to keep your kitties safe. It will take time for your little girl to learn to use the cat wheel. I love watching videos of kittens trying to work it -- they just don't have the weight to make the wheel rotate.

Bengals are highly active, very vocal, crave attention, are very loving, want to be with their humans (or they can bond better with other pets in the house). She will not be like your Bella at all. My best advice is to read up on all you can regarding the bengal breed. Lots of helpful information on this forum. Most of all, be patient, do the introduction slowly -- don't rush it. You will then have a happy, integrated family.

Let us know how she's doing when you get her home, post pictures .. we'd love to see her. And, good luck!

I've never been a fan of keeping cats in crates unless it's absolutely necessary. It's one of these things of "how would YOU want to be treated if you were in the cat's shoes"? And I don't think either of us would want to be kept in a crate.

I think the ideal situation would be if the kitten could get her own room for awhile, and be kept apart from the other animals, and given time to acclimate to the idea of being away from her siblings and prior family. This can take a few days. If there isn't a free room, then the closest approximation will do. A walk-in closet, or a an occupied bedroom where she's given her own "space" would also do. One important aspect of that is that it's important that she's given places to hide (like under a bed). And not "pried" out of that space as long as she feels she needs it.

Meanwhile the resident bengal can get used to the idea that there is a new cat somewhere in the home (because she can smell her), and give that idea some time to percolate before they see each other for the first time. Then you have to observe and tailor the plan to the two cats. If you are exceedingly fortunate, they could be ready to hang out relatively quickly, but more likely the resident cat will need some time to warm up to the new kitten, and during that time they should mostly be kept apart.

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The little monsters 3

Wow thank you for clarifying all of that for me. I had bought an extra large dog crate 81x75x122cm from gumtree thinking it would be a good idea but now I see that it really isn't. The kitten can have the spare room where there will be many places to hide. I suppose I worried about the toilet situation, hopefully she will continue to use the litter tray ( will stick with the litter she's used to)
Yes we do have a cat tree with platforms etc. Bengals are so easy to spoil! this we have discovered from Mogwai our bengal. My hubby made (he comes in very handy!) a very tall scratching post (inner tube of carpet) with a platform, there are tassels on it which she just loves. She really is a joy to behold!

I will now sell the crate on as the spare room sound far far better so thank you very much for explaining it all so clearly.
Thanks

I wouldn't be in a rush to dispose of the crate if it is easily assembled and transported. If you travel or go camping with your kitty it would be a very handy thing to have. When we take Quasar away with us, we have a collapsible crate that is very useful when we are busy and cannot hold onto him. He can be a member of the group and out of danger at the same time this way.

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~ Kyenta

I agree that you might want to hang on to the crate. Can it be taken apart and stored if you need it in the future. I now see your measurements are in cm and not inches, so the crate is not that big. I was thinking you could use it as an outdoor enclosure so your kitty could enjoy the yard and be safe.

Glad things are continuing to go well for you.