BehavioRx Case of the Month
for September 2001

The "Never a Full Tummy" Syndrome
A Tabby's Case

The client's 4 year-old female, spayed tabby-cat had recently started defecating outside her litter box, often on the client's bed and couch and in the living room. The owner, "Betty," lived alone with "Tabby," and had moved from another city in order to attend night school to get a degree.

The diet had not been changed from its popular dry kibble brand, which was always available in a bowl in the kitchen. The defecation had not started shortly after the change in households, which is often the case. Tabby had been found to be in excellent health by the referring veterinarian. Her stools, however, were what Betty called, "kind of loose, sometimes." Her eating pattern was to nibble kibble throughout the day and evening. The defecation never occurred when Betty was present. She had been cleaning up the feces and scolding Tabby, who would run off to another room. There had been no visitors to the new apartment and no emotional upsets in the Betty's life, except her cat's behavior. Scolding was the only punishment ever used.

Tabby was not particularly affectionate and didn't often seek any play. However, Betty said she often picked Tabby up and "loved on her." When she telephoned for the consultation, Betty said Tabby had been on oral amitryptyline, a tri-cyclic antidepressant, twice a day for several days. She didn't like Tabby's reaction to the drug, describing her as "zonked." When asked for more descriptive words, she used "distant, detached, confused, inactive." She then said she wanted to stop the
amitryptyline, since it wasn't solving the problem. She was advised to ask the veterinarian how to stop the drug.

Given a healthy (although "zonked") cat, and no evidence in the environment to point to emotional factors causing the problem, the differential diagnostic label for the behavior (not the cause of the behavior) had to be "misplaced defecation." (You heard it here, first!) This is specific to stools, whereas other popular labels, such as
"inappropriate elimination" can be confused with other bodily functions. As a matter of fact, as it turned out, Tabby's behavior may have been totally appropriate as we shall see!

The Never-Full Tummy Syndrome
We explained our dilemma (no specific, apparent cause for the problem)to Betty and outlined the basis for The Never-Full Tummy Syndrome: When
a cat's tummy is never stretched, but its immediate hunger is temporarily appeased by nibbling a kibble or two during the day and evening, it never experiences the benefits of approaching a meal very hungry and eating food until it's hunger is "satisfied." That feeling of satisfaction occurs when the stomach is full, i.e., stretched. This scenario equates loosely to a hungry feral cat catching its prey and gorging itself. One marvelous side-effect of a full, stretched stomach is similar in most healthy animals and humans, as well; we experience "a satisfying state of affairs;" homeostasis. Anyone who has been at a zoo at feeding time in the big cat building has observed this phenomenon...noisy roaring and agitated pacing as the lions anticipate the keeper's arrival with large pieces of raw meat and bones; the food is attacked and devoured, followed by silence, as the big cats lie down, become drowsy, start grooming, and fall asleep. Betty grasped the concept quickly.

In order to provide this experience for Tabby, Betty was advised to monitor Tabby's total food intake for a full 24 hours, then split that amount into two meals a day. She was to skip the morning feeding on the first day so Tabby would be voracious for the first, full evening meal and tummy-stretch of her life.

Feeding
Before placing the food down, Betty was to soak the kibble with just enough warm (not hotter than 120 degree) water for fifteen minutes to break down the gum which binds the kibble. While the gum increases the product's shelf life, it interferes with optimum digestion and seals in the fats, thereby impeding the food's odor- and taste-appeal.   She was to put the full bowl down at the spot where Tabby last soiled the house and leave the empty bowl there between feedings. When Tabby
had not soiled that spot for four days, she was to be fed at her regular feeding spot. However, if Tabby soiled a new area during the first fours days, the meal was to be split between two bowls, one placed at each soiled spot. This program, it is hoped, capitalizes on a fastidious cat's dislike to defecate where it eats.

Behavior
On the behavioral side, Betty was counseled to have one ten to fifteen minute play session with Tabby, preferably in the morning, or shortly before she went to work during the week. Fortunately, Tabby enjoyed chasing and pouncing on a toy being jerked about on a string. Betty said she'd phone to report of progress in a week.

Betty's Report - (eight days later)
"I have a brand new Tabby," Betty fairly sang the words. She had cold-turkeyed the amitryptyline the day after our consultation and said Tabby had "perked up" the following morning. She started the two-meal, soaked-kibble feeding program that day as well. The play sessions were started the day before, prior to leaving for work. Tabby had not had a single BM outside her litter box for seven days and she craved her meal times and play sessions.

"She's coming to me for affection all the time now." This seemed to be the most important benefit of the program. Improved emotional relations often rank at the top when pet owners describe a pet's progress.

So we asked, "Why do you think she's using the box so quickly?"

"I'm not sure, but her stools are nice and formed now... almost hard, and they used to be runny."

"Did she ever cover her stools when she used the box before?"

"I used to see her start, but then she'd stop and jump out. But she's burying them now."

Eureka! The fastidious cat may have contacted her formerly runny stools with a paw and decided to abandon the box in favor of areas where the act of burying was not needed.

Now, let's get anthropomorphic:

Is it possible that Tabby, upon seeing Betty clean up her first mess, decided to take advantage of her owner's cleanup talents?

Question: Who knows?

Answer: Only Tabby knows.

Previous Cases

August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000
August 2000
July 2000
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
January 2000
December 1999
November 1999
October 1999
September 1999
August 1999
July 1999
June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
November 1998
October 1998
September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
June 1998
May 1998
April 1998
March 1998
February 1998
January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996

Return to Case of the Month

Return to the BehavioRx Home Page