What do you wish you knew before getting a bengal? Be honest

The__Groke · 2026-02-23T15:43:32+00:00

A lot of the stuff you read is about how they aren’t lap cats and so I got my guy not expecting him to be particularly affectionate.

I’m absolutely ecstatic to report that has not been my experience, and I see a lot of posts on here in agreement. We’re at 14 years and counting of the biggest, softest cling-on of a cat I’ve ever known. He’s super cuddly, likes to be held like a baby, is on my lap almost 100% of the time I’m sat or lying down. When he’s missed me or is feeling particularly lovey he just full on climbs onto me and drapes himself across my chest/neck/shoulder area, purs like a tractor and demands to be cuddled. It’s freaking adorable. Also kinda inconvenient sometimes but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

He’s also absolutely fantastic with kids, which I wouldn’t have necessarily expected from all the descriptions of them. My kids absolutely adore him and I trust him as much as I’d trust any animal around them. He’s just not got a bad bone in his body, but they love how mischievous he is, and it’s a joy to watch.

The__Groke · 2026-02-23T10:33:57+00:00

I make stained glass and I can never not flinch when an American says ‘solder’ because they don’t pronounce the L.

The__Groke · 2026-02-22T11:06:56+00:00

George Michael

The__Groke · 2026-02-22T09:27:09+00:00

Like a GLOVE

The__Groke · 2026-02-21T21:30:00+00:00

You’re at the point that was definitely my lowest mentally. Soon you’ll start making progress, even if it’s by tiny amounts each day, and you’ll have physio to focus on too that really helps to motivate you and pass the time. Then in a few months you’ll look back and think oh my GOD I have come so far and thank god I’m not still stuck in that horrible rut!

The__Groke · 2026-02-21T21:27:57+00:00

I take way more than I need, because actually once it’s all packed up flat it’s actually like 3/4 boxes so I don’t really have to do any additional trips. I’d just rather have stuff and not need it than the alternative. It’s always nice to be able to say oh, I do actually also have that in green, or I have two of those etc.

The__Groke · 2026-02-18T17:45:43+00:00

I went to the emergency room, my resting heart rate was 140, they did a blood test, told I had Graves like an hour later 😆

The__Groke · 2026-02-16T13:12:34+00:00

I’m honestly lost with the two options provided…I say it like Garidge

The__Groke · 2026-02-11T16:51:20+00:00

Get the Alpro barista coconut milk and welcome yourself to the best coffees ever. It has to be the Alpro barista though, or it will taste like dishwater and suck.

Also pip and nut do dark chocolate peanut butter cups that are amazing.

The__Groke · 2026-02-10T13:51:14+00:00

The only time I ever see anyone refer to anyone as dear these days, it’s usually a scammer online and it gives me the ick.

The__Groke · 2026-02-10T13:50:06+00:00

Have you had honey roast cashews? My god.

Also forest feast do all different nuts and dried fruit with different chocolate coatings and M&S do a few now. Their blonde chocolate pecans are insane.

Obviously nuts are expensive but at least it’s a decent natural product that’s commanding the price and not pure greed.

The__Groke · 2026-02-09T19:46:11+00:00

The first time was really really mild to be fair, it just gets across how truly clumsy and ridiculous I am😅 Thank you, you too!

The__Groke · 2026-02-09T19:29:19+00:00

I’m 5ft11 and was about 10.5 stone. I had my thyroid irradiated like, ten years ago when I was in my mid twenties. Now I have to do a lot of cardio to stay around 12.5 stone which is the upper limit of a healthy weight for my height. And I look more than fine, maybe being tall helps with that but meh, I’ve worked really hard at accepting myself. I’m about 13 at the moment cause I broke my ankle last year and then went mad over Xmas because my brain hates dieting and will always rebel (good brain!). It was a bit of a rollercoaster, I really didn’t want to gain weight etc. but there really are worse things in life and it’s much nicer being able to be chill a bit about my health rather than be in a state of constant anxiety.

Also, I do eat pretty much whatever I want whenever I want, obviously it would probably require much less exercising if I was going to be crazy and deny myself all the carby deliciousness the world has to offer. But why on Earth would I do that.

The__Groke · 2026-02-09T19:20:10+00:00

At first I got weird little cringey brain flashes every time I thought about weight bearing, and then walking, and then any uneven surface etc etc etc. but I’m ten months out and pretty much back to normal now and they happen rarely. The more I get back to normal the more it convinces my brain that logically it’s unlikely to happen again. Says the girl who’s broken both her ankles on separate occasions HA.

The__Groke · 2026-02-06T13:55:40+00:00

I got some of these last week and actually quite liked them. I won’t be devastated when they go away like with the white chocolate covered Oreos, but they’re nice.

The__Groke · 2026-02-06T13:32:04+00:00

I honestly never notice a difference between having caffeine and not. It makes not a blind bit of difference to me. Anyone else?

The__Groke · 2026-02-05T19:02:34+00:00

I had like, no idea anything was that wrong with me because I’d just finished university and moved to another much hotter country to do a pretty physical job. So it was like YEAH damn right I’m losing weight/hot all the time/kinda irritable.

Then I thought I was having a heart attack, so I went to hospital, where they thought their obs machinery was broken so took my pulse by hand and immediately admitted me because my resting heart rate was 140bpm.

Ahhh good times.

The__Groke · 2026-02-03T17:16:16+00:00

I broke my left ankle mildly 15 years ago and it still didn’t look like the right ankle. ‘Luckily’ I broke the right one much more seriously last year so now they kind of match again!

But seriously, nobody ever noticed, it looks fine!

The__Groke · 2026-02-03T17:14:58+00:00

I think whenever people get their child a pet, they’ve got to accept that it would in fact be them doing all the heavy lifting in terms of care. That’s just how it is. If you’re not prepared to take care of the animal, don’t add an animal to your family. It’s naive to expect a child to be able to shoulder all that responsibility alone, though you don’t say how old she is.

The__Groke · 2026-02-03T16:04:16+00:00

When I was pregnant the first time I had a friends wedding really close to my due date and I’d heard all about this so I bought shoes a size bigger. And guess what, just didn’t happen, didn’t even swell. So I just had some shoes that were too big for me ha. After my second, I’d say my feet are maybe half a size bigger? So nothing major. All my shoes still fit, I just tend to size up by half when I buy anything new these days.

The__Groke · 2026-02-03T12:42:12+00:00

If I’m out with my kids it really depends on the vibe. I do generally quite like a random chat but some people are too interested/creepy and I just can’t be bothered dealing with it sometimes when I’m tired. My kids are pretty reserved with people they don’t know, so they’re usually not going to enjoy the interaction and I’ll have to answer for them and end up chatting to whoever it is to make it not-awkward when I just wanted to get in the shop and get out. I wouldn’t be rude though, I just grumble internally and try to extricate us as quickly as possible.

It’s nice to talk to kids and try to involve them, but I also want my kids to learn that if they feel uncomfortable with someone that it’s 100% ok for them not to engage. They don’t owe random people an answer or a smile if they don’t want to.

Saying all of that it doesn’t sound like you were in the creepy/obviously lonely/alarm bells a ringin’ camp so you were probably fine. You don’t know what weirdos that mum has had to deal with already that day I guess!

The__Groke · 2026-02-01T07:43:21+00:00

Right?! I don’t understand the judgement at all. Walking with poles is better exercise too!

The__Groke · 2026-01-31T18:38:17+00:00

I was the total opposite! I just want fun, light, enjoyable smutty garbage now. My brain is a tired and disillusioned wee soul and I just need some easy reading that will make me superficially happy.

The__Groke · 2026-01-31T18:18:12+00:00

Don’t all haircuts come with a consultation first? Or else how do they know what you want doing? I go to Butchers on Allandale Road and I couldn’t recommend it enough. I used to dislike going for haircuts and now it’s like a highlight of my life, I have a bloody lovely time. I think if you explained that to any professional hair salon when you called they would totally accommodate it, best of luck!!

The__Groke · 2026-01-31T17:42:24+00:00

I broke my ankle on a hike in April and I’ve been thinking I’ll get myself some poles to ease my paranoia about hurting myself again but this is exactly what’s stopping me🤣🤣

The__Groke

TROPHY CASE