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Cats/kitten behaviour

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Expert: - 5/9/2011


Question
my queen had a litter of three kittens, somehow during thier development they associate cat food with going to the toilet and will not eat it only try to cover it.  They only eat chicken, two will eat tuna aswell. The mother eats wet cat food and dry and I always offer them the same when she eats, they do the covering motion and walk away. If I dont give them chicken they just dont eat. They are 15 weeks old. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Answer
Hi Christine,

Sorry this took so long, my computer was down. The covering motion is not an associative action with the toilet. Rather it is a throwback behavior to the wild when cats covered their food after they were full. They just want to make sure no one else is going to get it. It is to protect it from others. They sound like they are training you well. What happens if you give them something to eat besides chicken? They don't eat until you give them what they want. Sounds like children having a tantrum doesn't it? Do you think they wouldn't eat at all and starve to death? No they wouldn't.But they have you giving in. If you want them to eat regular cat food you have to train them to it.

Take some of the good chicken and mix it up the wet kitten food you want them to eat. Make sure the kitten food is a chicken flavor. If they do not eat remove it for an hour and then reoffer it to them. You might want to warm it up for them to tempt them. Once they start to eat the chicken cat food mixture you gradually remove the chicken till they are eating just the wet kitten food. You can also use this technique to get them to eat dry food. I recommend Purina One dry food. Unless you want to go really to high end cat foods Purina One is good.

Hope this helped you. Good luck and take care.

Ciao, Karen

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Karen Craft

Expertise

I can give advice on cat behavior. I can help about newborn kitten care. I can help with senior cat care. I can answer questions about cat proofing a home or making it cat friendly. I can answer diet questions. I can answer home treatments questions for cats. At present I have 13 cats in home and two ferals outside. And there's always room for one more!

Experience

I have over 40 year's experience with cats. Father was a veterinarian and I assisted him in his work. I have 15 cats at present. Most are shelter or feral rescues. I have one purebred cat. I have done cat rescues and foster care. Some thoughts to carry with you. A Cat's 10 Commandments My life is likely to last 15-20 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful. Give me time to understand what you want of me. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments. But I have only you. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it. Before you swat me, before you strike me, remember that I have teeth that could draw blood. And claws to strike back. And yet I choose not to attack you. If I don't act right then have me checked to see what is wrong. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too will grow old. On the difficult journey, on the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there. Because I love you so. Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. Life would be a much duller, less joyful thing without God's critters. Pass this on.

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I have an A.A.S.

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