Confessions of a Cat Breeder

For the past twenty years I have been a Feline Behavior Consultant as well as a Cattery Management & Marketing Mentor. My clients have included other catteries, veterinarians and the general public. I live in a multi-cat household, and have experienced many situations in my own home that, through trial and error, were solved.

Before realizing my true life's work with felines, I was employed at my city's courthouse. Naturally as a cat lover my work area was decorated with several cat pictures and mementos. As a result, whenever a cat behavior problem surfaced in a co-worker's home, I was consulted. As many feline behavior problems were solved, my reputation flowed throughout the building. Various co-workers from different floors either began waiting for my arrival in the morning or left notes on my desk to meet them for lunch.

It was with my own veterinarian's respect and confidence in my opinions, however, that I decided to change my career. Eventually, as my reputation grew within the veterinarian community I received requests for advice from other vets as well.

After years of working in this field which of course included running a very successful cattery, I launched Confessions of a Cat Breeder to assist our loyal, caring and growing readership by providing reasonably priced feline consultations.

Problem Weening New Kittens   

Jane, a new breeder and her husband were worried because their new kittens were not weening from the mother's milk. They would not even try or show any interest in solid food. They wanted to know why they haven't started weening and if they should be eating solid food by now.

I advised these new breeders that at four weeks of age it is important to interest the kittens in a creamy preferably meat based diet. I have found that pure meat chicken baby food would start my babies eating immediately. This is the same product that human babies eat such as Gerbers, Heinz etc.

It is not advisable to buy the variety with vegetables. Chicken appears to be the easiest for the kitten's developing digestive systems. I also suggested that they use a rubber tipped baby spoon to protect the kitten's delicate mouth. The babies should be gently held and each fed with the baby spoon.

Allow the mother to clean the baby after each kitten has finished feeding. The baby food should only be consumed when at room temperature. Depending on the size of the litter often the entire jar of baby food will be finished during one feeding. When I had left overs I permitted the mother of the litter to finish the jar.

Within 24 hours of feeding the kittens they will have to learn good litter box etiquette. Make sure you have provided clumping litter. Then allow the kittens to investigate this new substance in a very small litter box. It helps if the mother has also used a portion of the litter to encourage the kittens to follow suit. Do not become alarmed if your kittens start to play in their litter box. This soon passes as the boxes true purpose becomes clear.

After a few days of feeding the kittens 2 to 3 times a day try introducing them to the food by placing a small amount of baby food on a large plate and placing each baby in front of a small portion. You may need to dip your finger in the food and allow the kitten to follow your finger down to food on the plate. The mother may have to be removed at this time as she will quickly assist the kittens with cleaning the plate.

I found many litters of kittens quickly learned the purpose of their litter box with their mother's assistance. As soon as the kittens have adapted to their new diet, it is best to introduce a high quality wet food such as Science Diet for kittens. Although many kittens eventually lose interest in this excellent source of nutrition try to encourage this quality of diet for as long as possible. Your kittens will soon develop a preference for a substantial diet available in any pet food store.

Jane wrote back to let me know that the new litter of kittens has adapted well to their new food and is using their litter box without any problems.

Please note:  If your kittens are experiencing similar behavior and not switching from mother's milk to solid food, it may be due to an entirely different problem. Always see your vet first before requesting a consultation with CCB.

Cheddar and the Bathtub   

One of my recent consultations was with Gina, a lawyer residing in West Virginia. She lived with a ten year old female cat, Jade, and had adopted Cheddar, a kitten that was now six months old. Gina consulted me because Cheddar had recently acquired the occasional habit of leaving stools in her clean bathtub.

When a cat is under stress, the favorite manner of expressing displeasure is through the non-use of the litter box. When giving a consultation for one feline, a problem may eventually be solved. However, as many families have realized, the same solution may not work for another feline, even one with an apparently identical problem.

Although another cat may refuse to use the litter box to express their displeasure within the family, a totally different approach may be required. What may work with one feline, may not work with another, because each has its own unique perspective of the members of its family.

Cheddar was a typical catlet, full of energy and very devoted to winning Jade's affection. Although Cheddar was often too much energy for Jade, their relationship was compatible, and did not seem to be the root of the problem.

Because Cheddar would always urinate in the litter box, and for days at a time the bathtub would stay clean, Gina was mystified by the random stools in the tub. She was careful to keep clean the three litter boxes throughout her spacious home. She had tried different brands of cat litter, and even replaced the litter boxes with new ones to try to alter Cheddar's behavior.

I requested that Gina have Cheddar vet checked to rule out any medical condition that may be causing the uncharacteristic behavior. After Cheddar was found to be in good health, I requested that Gina record the times of day when he made use of her bathtub. Within a short time, she reported that Cheddar only used the tub during the odd night, and only during the day on certain weekends.

It was obvious to me, that this feline was frustrated with some aspect of his life in Gina's home. It was now necessary to ask Gina some personal questions about her situation and lifestyle. Since there was a litter box on each floor, including one in the bedroom where both cats slept, there had to be some 'trigger' that signaled Cheddar to use the bathtub as an alternative.

Sometimes, to solve a feline situation, it is the owner's behavior that is the basis of the problem. I asked Gina about any recent changes in her personal lifestyle.

Gina's partner, Jim, had recently moved into her home after they had been dating for some time. Prior to their relationship, Cheddar had slept beside his mistress, but that spot was now being occupied by another male.

At first, since Cheddar's bathtub behavior seemed to coincide with Jim's move, it might appear to be a typical jealousy situation. However, Cheddar was young and truly enjoyed Jim's company. When Jim was home, Cheddar was constantly beside him, or sitting on his lap. Jim was a cat lover, and had been with Gina when she selected Cheddar as a kitten from his litter. Therefore, it did not seem likely that Cheddar was upset with Jim's presence in Gina's home, or in her bed.

Actually, Jim's presence was especially appreciated by Jade. Since Jim was self-employed and worked from home, Cheddar's catlet energy had been redirected by interaction with Jim, and he no longer seemed lonely during Gina's long absences. He was basically a well-adjusted young feline.

Males mark their territory by urinating against walls and furniture when they are stressed by their environment. Cheddar was obviously comfortable in his home, since he always urinated appropriately in his litter box. So why was Cheddar still occasionally using the bathtub, and why for only stools? By the presence and odor of only stools, he was letting Gina know that he was disturbed by some insignificant act that was randomly occurring during some nights and occasional weekends.

Eventually, I determined that Cheddar's stools only appeared after Jim got up to use the washroom during the night. Cheddar would follow him, in anticipation of play, and when Jim returned to the bedroom and shut the door, Cheddar would be locked out. After a short period of kitty play, when he discovered that he couldn't get back into the bedroom, he would leave his calling card in the bathtub.

Cheddar had been trained to use the litter box in the bedroom during the night. However, since he was locked out, and unable to be with his family, the bathtub became his favorite subsitute. He was frustrated by separation anxiety, and being deprived of the use of his bedroom litter box.

The solution, in this case, really was simple. Once Jim realized that it was Cheddar's separation from the family unit that was creating the problem, the bedroom door was never closed. Gina was shocked that the problem was so easy to resolve. Six months have passed, and Cheddar has never again used the bathtub to leave stools. If only all of my cases were this easy.

Please note:  If your cat is using a similar method to display displeasure, it may be due to an entirely different problem. Always see your vet first before requesting a consultation with CCB.

Colleen and Mark, a young married couple, owned a persian cat that they were totally devoted to. I was contacted after their vet had checked Winston for health problems due to his steady loss of weight. They had noticed that for some reason, Winston only nibbled at his food periodically during the day.

The couple said that the trend began suddenly in January and that by March, although he appeared healthy and playful, Winston continued to lose weight. They were so concerned that I was brought in for a home consultation.

Almost immediately, I determined that it was Mark's Christmas present to Winston of a fancy cat bowl that was the basis of the problem.

I explained how Persians, and other felines with flatter faces, have difficulty eating from narrow bowls. This is due to the discomfort they experience when their whiskers touch the sides of the bowl. Winston was only eating enough to satisfy his hunger, but not enough to maintain his weight.

Once the 'Christmas bowl' was replaced with a wider dish, his weight began to increase dramatically. It helped that Colleen gave Winnie little treats during the day, but it was the replacement of the 'Christmas bowl' that finally solved the problem.