About Natoma Expertise Having been owned by cats most of my life and now also a breeder of Maine Coons for the passed 7 years I can answer questions about showing and breeding pedigreed cats. How to get started, finding good breeders and mentors, what to look for in a breeding kitten, how to get you kitten ready for the show ring, what you will need before the show, grooming and bathing etc. I have shown mostly in CCA(The Canadian Cat Association) but can help to get specific answers for other associations as well including CFA and TICA. I am however a firm believer in spay/neuter for the non pedigred cat. I am NOT a vet but I can answer question on basic health care, problem/weird behavior and have been raw feeding for over 5 years. I am a beleiver in trying to raise my kitties as naturally as possible although I do not know much about hollistic care I do try and would be happy to help you research the answer to this type of question.
Between my own cats and the experiences of my pet buyers there probably isn't a lot I haven't experienced concerning cats :)
Experience Owned by cats all of my life, breeding and showing maine coons for over 7 years.
Organizations The Canadian Cat Association, Board of Director's
Education/Credentials none
Awards and Honors Best Maine Coon in CCA's 05-06 Show Season
BEST all breed cat, regionally(Ontario) in CCA's 05-06 Show Season
2nd Best all breed cat, nationally (Canada) in CCA's 05-06 Show Season.
10th Best all breed alter in CCA's 04-05 Show season.
Cats - my 1 month old kittens wont use the litter box
Expert: Natoma - 9/1/2007
Question My cats kittens turned one month old 2 days ago. they always want loose but i don't want them to go to the bathroom on the floor. how do i teach them to use the litter box?
Answer Hello Kendra,
1 month old kittens are far too young to be expected to use the litterbox exclusively. You need to keep them segregated in a smaller area with mom and with litterboxes (2 or 3 of them) that are short enough for them to easily get in and out of. You need to steer clear of regular clay or clumping litter right now as the kittens can eat the litter and it can hurt them. You should be using a natural product such as yesterdays news, wood pellets, swheat scoop etc. Any of these can be consumed without harming the kittens.
As long as the kittens are with mom she will take care of training them. It usually takes about two weeks for everyone to be using the boxes reliably but I do not let kittens run loose until they are 8wks old in case of the odd accident.
