SEAL POINT SIAMESE CAT CLUB

FELINE BEHAVIOUR

"Behaviourist in residence"

Katie B Wade 

     BSc Hons (NAC EBQ FBQ)

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Katie is a practising

Animal Behaviourist.

 Building on an ethos that

 detailed understanding of the

 science behind animal behaviour

 leads to happier, healthier,

breeding, Katie’s monthly column,

 will examine the science behind

 feline behavioural issues, 

A full lst of upcoming articles is

shown at the base of this page

Previous articles are available in

the Archive section of the site

                                                            Food, food, food !!!

                   Under-eaters? over-eaters? Why it is never just about appetite

There is a huge amount of research looking into risk factors for obesity in the domestic

feline at the moment, it is indeed a growing concern. In my line of work it is not just

those cats who eat too much that are a concern, but those who do not eat adequately, or

those taking on maladaptive eating behaviours, eating inappropriate substances for

example.

There is an underlying physiological satisfaction involved with eating behaviour,

because in order to stay fit and healthy, eating is important. Exploration of the evolution,

domestication and culturalisation of the feline has helped us to understand not only the

behavioural aspect of eating behaviour, but also how things can go wrong here.

The Small Hunter

To fully understand eating-related behaviours we need to look further than at nutrition

alone. In the cats’ case, we need to take a holistic approach, exploring the complex

sequence of events leading up to normal eating behaviours.

Research has shown that even the well fed house cats may typically spend up to a

quarter of each day hunting[i], patrolling their territory regularly in order to maintain

optimal health and well-being.

With their amazing acoustic abilities, along with instinctual responses to higher-pitched

sounds, the cat locates its prey instantly[ii]. Once her attention has been focussed, the

cat slinks rapidly towards the suspect, dropping to the ground as she draws closer.

When near enough, a short sprint, a spring, a strike with the forepaws and she has her

victim. Such intricate sequences contribute to the predatory success of the domestic[iii].

Eating for Satisfaction

Although nutritionally sound, many feed manufacturers overlook this behavioural

importance of eating. To stay fit and healthy, our cats need to act upon their long

evolved instincts, they need to hunt, and they most certainly need to tear and chew upon

fleshy meat. Sinking their teeth and tearing at the flesh of their prey, many internal

mechanisms set to work. This process triggers the release of hormones, which in turn

causes satisfaction[iv].

Although many “100% natural” foodstuffs can be purchased from many leading

supermarkets, considering eating as a behaviour just as much as a nutritional necessity,

the texture of these ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ cutlets or biscuits do not incorporate truly natural

eating behaviours.

Other than frustration, hyperactivity, aggression and over-grooming, common problems

such as fabric eating, chewing cabling, and sucking are often associated with such

eating-related distortions.

Orientals are among the most common breeds in which these conditions are reported.

Working with the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) Neulle[v] analysed data obtained from

152 fabric eating domestic cats within the UK, to find that 55% were Siamese, 28%

were Burmese, and 11% were crossbreeds.

More general problems include ‘fussy eaters’ because they or their queens have been

used to more natural products, and are then moved to new homes with new routines and

different feed management practices.

To avoid these problems, both nutrition with behaviour need to be fully understood.

Many experts are now looking into this, bringing natural meaty foods to compliment

nutritionally sound diets.

The Fast Food Effect

Further to the afore mentioned difficulties that many owners and breeders come up

against, within my day-to-day behavioural consultation work, clients are expressing

concerns with the ‘addictive’ behavioural patterns that their cats’ develop when exposed

to freeze-dried food treats.

Despite this lack of satisfaction that theoretically these cats should be experiencing,

although constituting 100% pure meat, these treat forms are often artificially

concentrated with salts or fats or sugars.

Just as we do - a fact that fast-food restaurants have used and become so successful

as a result - our cats are increasingly becoming reliant on these concentrated products,

behaving in certain ways towards their owners to obtain them, with complex underlying

physiological mechanisms involved.

Managing the Indoor Cat – Solutions

The indoor cat will inevitably be restricted in more ways than the cat who is free to roam

the neighbourhood, therefore the indoor cat does face a greater risk of developing one

or more of the afore mentioned disorders the more compromises made correlating with

higher risk values.

Understanding more about the natural behaviour of the domestic cat will ensure that an

appropriate environment is set up to minimise restriction and stem optimising health and

well-being.

Dried biscuit based feeds have been linked to disorders such as cystitis, therefore one

action to take would be to replace these biscuit based products with chunks of natural

meats incorporated into a balanced diet.

I am not a nutritionalist so I would never advise going against veterinary advice, however

there are guides to allow the incorporation of meaty chunks as part of a balanced diet

safely. Also a gradual “re-introduction” method, to effectively ‘wean’ these unnatural and

often addictive products is advisable.

Another measure would be through the use of commonplace cat toys, those that

simulate hunting behaviour.

Rather than ‘stirring’ internal predatory mechanisms, risking frustration with no natural

end result (HUNT → EAT/TEAR/CHEW) owners can do one of two things:

• Encourage calmer explorative games, prioritising the mind rather than the body, on

        the mind rather than then body. Here are a few examples:

       Paw & Explore - Place one or two chunks of meat or treat into a wide, short,

       cardboard tube with both ends open. The cat will need to effectively use his paws

       to obtain the treat from the tube. Note: the treats must be easily obtainable,

       gradually increasing in difficulty so as no frustration develops.

       The Toy Box - Set-up a tray (e.g. an unused, shallow, litter tray) with an

        assortment of objects such as pots, toy plastic balls and so on. In amongst these

       objects, place one or two treats to encourage investigative interaction with humans.

       Hide & Seek - Play treasure hunts, similarly to the ‘toy box’ situation, in and around

       a blanket within their comfort zone.

• Provide an end result after a fast-paced game, a chunk of cooked chicken breast

        to tear for example, positively simulate both the hunt and the eating parts of the

        sequence.

For every indoor cat, I would always suggest lessening compromise, at least by building

a run outside to provide some form of natural behaviour. The inclusion of plentiful

horizontal scratching mats and vertical posts, social company (introduced in an

appropriate way) and choice are all other strategies that have proven success,

replicating natural environments as much as possible.

I hope this provides a good starting point for all. Please feel free to contact me for

further advice or recommended reading references, I am always happy to help.

Upcoming articles

• March:   Not just genetics!

                   Why do some cats become difficult at show? Can we modify behaviour

                           to avoid biting certificates?  The basics of why some cats react with

                           aggression.

• April:    Bad mothers.

                   Can science help us direct maternal instinct?       

• May:     All about introductions

                  What should we be telling new owners about introducing a new kitten

                         to its home, to avoid longer term problems.  

                          How do we make owners listen!

and in the archive .....

 Spaying Queens

                  Can we really do anything to prevent soggy curtains and 

                         "annointed" toasters

 Making friends               

                  Understanding how social groups are formed, and how managing

                          groups effectively can improve life in multicat households

Nervous cats - nature or nurture

                  Why some kittens & cats react with fear, and others