Keeping a Norwegian Forest Stud Cat

In an island such as ours, stud cats are particularly important to their breed.  Although it is much easier now than when I started, bringing in new breeding cats still isn't easy or cheap.  A few good quality NFC studs – by which I mean of excellent type, health and temperament – can have a far-reaching effect over many years as their beneficial genes gradually spread throughout the Forest Cat population which is still relatively small here (though rapidly growing). Likewise, a stud cat with poor type, temperament or health can have a disproportionately adverse effect on the breed as a whole within the UK. Hence it is very important indeed that stud owners are careful to use only the highest-quality males for breeding. Obviously the same applies to females, but to a much lesser extent. If a healthy queen is bred every year for six years and averages five in a litter, then she will introduce thirty kittens to the world during her active life. A stud cat on the other hand may father that many kittens, or more, every single year!

Kyrrekatt Kistrand as a baby - he was the first NFC stud cat we had, and an absolute darling.
He also managed to kill the 'indestructible' aspidistra plant that he's sitting on in the picture.

My personal view is always that the health and happiness of the individual cats is even more important than the welfare of the breed, and very much more vital than the satisfaction of the relevant humans (though these things are often linked). So if there is a really super stud cat who isn’t happy and thriving in his lifestyle, he should be neutered in order to lead life as a happy pet rather than kept entire for the convenience of his owners. What one person considers a satisfactory life for a cat may be considered cruelty by others, of course. In fact I sometimes think that there are as many ways of keeping cats as there are breeders. In some countries studs are kept in isolation in small indoor cages, which would be considered unacceptable by most animal-lovers and certainly by the cats themselves. At the other extreme, some kind owners have sacrificed their own comfort in order to give their cats the best possible life; I have been to homes where the males are allowed to live as part of the family, indoors, but with access to a safe outside enclosure when they want. These homes usually smell overwhelmingly of stud cat to the point where a visitor would reel back at the fumes; for very few studs do not spray and even if they never deviate from the litter tray, the reek of their urine is incredibly strong. If someone could invent a pleasant perfume with as much staying-power as tomcat spray, their fortune would be made! Some novice stud owners have been heard to say “my boy doesn’t spray” but very often this is when the stud is very young – spraying sometimes begins as late as 18months of age. Of course, there do exist a few entire males who are compatible with a home life but then the owner has to be extremely careful that there are no mis-matings; keeping a female and male cat together will almost certainly result in unintentional kittens, for the male will know that the female is on heat before any human could guess, and if there is a stud right there, the queen doesn’t even need to waste energy in calling aloud if she doesn’t want to. 

This is International Champion David Austin av Boxerhaven, a wonderful Norwegian boy who was imported to Denmark.  Carli of Gyldenloeve cattery allowed us to borrow him for a few months during which time he fathered some kittens in the UK, including our own Valentine.  This was a great opportunity for improving the blood lines in Britain.

In the UK I have seen many stud cats because I started breeding a quarter of a century ago (eek!) and for many of my litters, used outside studs. (I only got my own boys once I had the time, space and number of mates they deserved. It isn’t kind to buy a male if you have only one or two females – they will inevitably become frustrated if they do not have a large enough harem.) So I have seen good and bad conditions for numerous boys, and have tried to work out a life that I feel is kind to my own studs. Often people do not intend to be cruel, but are simply unaware of their cats’ needs. Apart from the basics of food and shelter, Forest Cats need space and company. I think if a cat is kept in a “run” it should literally be able to run; a few paces in either direction is simply not enough, and they should have trees or wooden shelves to climb and scratch as well as human and feline company on a frequent basis. Even from a selfish point of view, it makes sense to ensure the contentment of your stud; a frustrated male cat can become irritable (and dangerous); noisy; lose weight; and even refuse to “perform”. 

International Champion Tilia Nova's Ingjalf, another magnificent stud we were kindly lent by Carli of Gyldenloeve.  Ingjalf has his own post in the September 2011 section of this blog.  He was one of my favourite cats, ever.

I remember once having a conversation with an exhibitor at a cat show who was describing how impressed she was at the premises of the breeder of her show neuter (not an NFC as it happens). Apparently the breeder kept all her cats in spotless white plastic pens in the garden, and it was all so very hygienic. But during our conversation it became apparent that there was not a blade of grass or natural log in existence – just a couple of metres of white plastic for each cat, kept separate from the others for “health reasons”. What a lonely life those poor cats must have had.

Father, Quink, likes to help bring up his kittens and teach them how to be Forest Cats 

In the countryside, a free-range male cat will roam over a huge distance looking for mates, and studies have shown that a typical patrol area will measure 7 miles in diameter. By means of territorial marking the cat will attempt to keep out other entire males, and if he comes across a male intruder a fight will almost certainly ensue. Sometimes these sound worse than they are; a few chunks of fur will fly, the inferior combatant will retreat and no real harm will be done. At other times there will be genuine injuries, and even a small bite will usually lead to an abscess, which of course can become quite serious in the case of feral toms without access to antibiotics. If two mature entire males come face to face inside a restricted space, such as a breeder’s home or cat-garden, the fight is likely to be bloodier as there is little opportunity for the weaker male to escape. So when I say that stud cats should not live alone, it is not generally a good idea to keep two studs within sight, sound or smell, let alone reach, of each other. Many novice breeders will purchase two good-natured young males and think that they can share a living space, but it is almost inevitable that at some point there will be a nasty fight. I have met one Danish breeder who has several studs sharing the same area in her large home, but this is extremely unusual. It is in the nature of even the most laid-back Forest Cat stud to become aggressive towards other males, and usually one will be the bully whilst the other is dominated and miserable.  However I have had some success with having two studs enjoy each other’s company – and they are both from the lines of the Danish breeder I mentioned, Carli of Gyldenloeve.  Quink is now neutered but this photo was taken while he was still entire.  Valentine is still a stud cat here at Vieuxtemps.

Valentine and Quink chilling out in each other's company

I have heard of some Scandinavian breeders who allow their stud cats to roam free out of doors; I believe that the famous Pan’s Truls was one of these and one day he simply didn’t return home. However in Britain this is hardly practical nor indeed ethical, as your stud will be actively increasing the population of unwanted moggy kittens, and probably picking up nasty diseases into the bargain, not to speak of possible injuries. However this is one instance where your stud cat, if he had his way, would disagree with me in his choice of lifestyle!

Another thing I feel is important for the quality of life of a stud cat is to ensure that he isn’t active for too long. He deserves an early retirement especially if he has been confined away from the household and kept outdoors, so he can mellow into becoming a beloved pet or show neuter, with time spent on the sofa with the rest of the family, without the stress of being stopped from spraying or mating when he shouldn’t. It isn’t fair to keep a cat for many years in the inevitably constricted lifestyle that is the lot of a pedigree stud. Comparatively early neutering also helps to ensure that a stud isn’t over-used within the breed as a whole within the UK. The wider the gene pool, the better it is for the health of the breed.

Champion Magnus More og Romsdal, one of our previous NFC studs caring for one of his kittens.  Magnus was a big gentle blue ticked tabby boy we imported from the Netherlands.

My impetus for writing this article is that there are quite a lot of new breeders of Forest Cats lately – it is great to see the breed growing in strength within our country. I’m sure some people will disagree with my points of view, and they are welcome to put their own thoughts forward. But new breeders sometimes simply don’t realise the needs of a stud cat. It really isn’t a good idea to get a stud until you have had a few years’ experience as a breeder using outside stud cats, and have had a chance to build up the required number of queens for his use. If you are intending to allow outside females to use your stud, you need to be sufficiently experienced to be able to predict what kittens can be produced by a particular mating, and to be able to take responsibility for someone else’s cat staying with you for a few days or even weeks. Cat mating is quite a complex ritual and requires sensitivity and experience on the part of the humans. Of course is it convenient to have two studs– many people like to do this, or indeed have even more, so as to have alternative mates for their own queens and for queens they have sold to other breeders. Inviting sold female kittens back for a mating can be quite a money-spinner in fact! If visiting queens are accepted, you need to have separate quarters so the two cats can get to know each other through wire mesh before being allowed to mix freely. It is also necessary for the stud cat to have an escape shelf on which to spring should the female attack him after mating – which can happen sometimes due to discomfort from the male’s barbed penis. 

Breeders, please ask yourselves – will your studs really have enough mates, company, interesting activities and human attention? If the answer is “no” to any of these, then think twice before embarking on getting a stud. It can be more problematic than it seems.

Dansbjerg's Pelle Halelos, whom we imported from Denmark for his lovely type, size, health and temperament.  Here he is snuggling up with his friend Champion Ragna More og Romsdal.

The Sad Journal of a Stud Cat

This is a fictional account; however there is more than a grain of truth in it, alas.  So if you are a kitten buyer - please make sure you aren't supporting a breeder who gives their stud cat a lonely life in a small outdoor enclosure.  And if you are a breeder, do please remember that your stud cat deserves to be part of the family too.

September

I am born.  I snuggle up to a big furry tummy and drink some delicious warm milk.  I hear a human voice say “that’s a very promising boy” but at the time I can’t translate humanspeak so I don’t know what it means.

October 

I am getting very fat with all that lovely milk!  I can see fuzzy shapes which are interesting when they move, and am getting around the kittening basket at quite a speed (but my legs go wobbly every so often).  There is a plate of tasty brown stuff that I like to lick, and a bowl of yummy white stuff too.  I have learned that some of the moving fur around me belongs to my brother and sister.  We often have play fights and games.  Tails are fun to play with.  Mum’s tail has a white tip which makes it an extra good toy as she flicks it back and forth invitingly.

November 

Today we have some visitors. There is a human lady and man who have come from a long way away. They pick me up and ooh and aaaah about me and then say I am very handsome and ask if they could buy me as their new stud cat. I wonder what that means? They seem very nice people and suitably adoring of me. My human says she will have to think about it.

December 

Today I meet a furry stranger and jump – then the stranger jumps too, at exactly the same time! He has lots of orange hair and a white nose and white tail tip. After awhile I realise that the stranger is ME. I am in a sort of magic frame which my humans call a mirror. Now that I know what I look like I have to say I think I’m a lot better looking than my brother and sister, who are both a boring brown colour.

January 

For the last few weeks my human has been obsessed with my neck. First of all, she takes me and my siblings in a big roaring thing she calls a car (didn’t that make me miaow!) and we arrive at a brightly-lit place with a man in a white coat. He sticks something into the back of my neck and it hurts, but I am brave and don’t make a sound. My sister whimpers a bit when it is her turn though. As if that isn’t enough, exactly the same thing happens three weeks later. Then a few days later, we are all taken to the same torture chamber and given a really sore neck when they stick in something called a “microchip”. It feels absolutely enormous. Finally, this morning our human put some nasty wet drops on the same spot. What is it with these humans? I am very disappointed in mine – I thought she loved me. Perhaps my new humans will be a bit better. They are coming to collect me tomorrow.

February 

My new humans ARE better! For a start, they don’t keep hurting the back of my neck. Then they give me loads of new toys and let me sleep in their bed. I have to say I missed my dear Mum and brother and sister at first but now life is great. I snuggle up first to the man, then to the lady. Then I stretch a bit and they have to move over to make room for me. Although I’m just four and a half months old I am getting quite big. These new humans also give me nicer food –they open tins of tuna and give me bits of chicken off their own plates. If I pretend not to like the dry cat food (which is really quite nice) they poach some cod or salmon especially for Yours Truly. I have them wound right round my white(ish) paws! They also keep kissing me on the top of my head and on my tummy, but that’s a small price to pay for the luxuries I am enjoying in my new home.

March 

Well, after I’ve been here for a while I realise that I am not the only cat. My new humans kept me in their bedroom for a few weeks “until I got my confidence” they said. Don’t they realise I ALWAYS have total confidence? But it’s fun to pretend to be more babyish than I really am, so as to get lots of fuss and attention. Anyway, these new cats are bigger than me and look a bit like my mum, except they don’t have white tail tips. That is just as well as they don’t like me playing with their tails and I might be tempted if they had the white tips. There are two of them and they are quite tolerant and give me lots of washes. Sometimes I curl up with the big cats in their baskets instead of in the human bed, just for a change.

April 

One of the big cats – her name is Soraya – is acting funny this week. She keeps making yowling noises and sticking her bottom in the air, and sometimes she sticks it right in my face. I don’t know who taught her manners but they obviously didn’t do a very good job of it. I just ignore her and go to play with my other big friend, Suzi, the one with the pretty red marks on her black face. Actually I am fast approaching the same size as these girls, now that I am a whole seven months old.

May 

My humans have been spending a lot of time outside recently, and I’ve just found out why. They have made me and my friends a nice cat garden! It is just outside the kitchen door which now has a hole in it covered by a little flap, so that we can come and go whenever we want. There are some shelves to jump up on and a big wooden tub full of this wonderful plant that makes me all happy. I go and sniff it and roll in it forages. Life is good good good! I’m so glad I live with this family and not my last human who kept hurting my neck. Sometimes I have to pay for my upkeep by going to these things called cat shows, but I don’t mind because I get lots of admiration and sometimes win pretty rosettes. I like the blue ones best as the red ones clash with my fur, but my humans prefer the red ones and sometimes become quite gushing when I win several. There’s no accounting for taste.

June 

I embarrass myself this morning. I am waking up my humans as usual – well, it is four a.m. and I feel like a titbit – and then somehow I suddenly want to wee and have this strange feeling that I must do it on the duvet. At first they don’t notice. The man just says “give us another couple of hours, Rudolph, it’s too early to wake up yet”. That’s what they call me – Rudolph. My real name is a lot longer and posher though. Anyway, after a while my wee must have soaked through because my female human gives a sniff then a shriek, and pulls off the bedclothes. I think it smells quite nice actually – better than that stuff called Perfume that they like to spray on themselves, that makes me sneeze – but neither of them seems to appreciate my fragrance and they are quite cross. I feel upset as I hadn’t meant any harm, and I’ve never been told off by them before. In fact they always say I am perfect (which of course is true) so I don’t like this new attitude of theirs. I go to sulk in the cat garden.

July 

Well, things have changed a lot here lately. I have been trying to train my humans to like my lovely aromatic pee by leaving little puddles around the place, but they just don’t appreciate it. On the other hand, it drives Suzi and Soraya wild. I have to admit that I recently feel more fond than ever of my girlfriends and have taken to jumping on their backs when my humans aren’t looking, which they both seem to enjoy as much as I do. In a way that makes up a bit for the fact that during the daytime I’m shut outside in the cat garden (there is a little hut thing for me in case it rains) and in the night time I’m confined to the kitchen. I find this somewhat hurtful as I am used to the nice cosy human bed, but since my duvet-christening incident they no longer allow me to snuggle up with them. Ah well, at least I can snuggle with Suzi and Soraya.

August 

Things have taken a turn for the worse.  First, my girlfriends are no longer interested in me.  All they want to do is to eat and sleep and they are getting quite fat.  Moreover, I hardly see them as I am not allowed indoors at all any more!  It’s outrageous.  I can see them all luxuriating through the glass while I’m stuck outside in the cat garden.  They have locked the special cat door and enlarged my hut but it doesn’t have any television or armchairs or duvets to pee on and I hardly think it befits my status.   Most days I chase a few leaves and insects and count the minutes until my humans come out to give me a cuddle and a treat.  Some days, if it’s raining or if they are particularly busy, they only spend a few minutes with me though.  What have I done to deserve this?

September 

It’s my birthday! I’m one year old. I got an extra portion of fish as an indulgence and it was delicious, but it would have been much nicer if I could have eaten it in the kitchen with the rest of the family. I’ve not been allowed in there for weeks and weeks, since the Incident of the Saucepan Mistaken for the Litter Tray. I did know it wasn’t a litter tray really, but sometimes I just feel the urge to pee and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t understand why they get so upset. Most of the talk I hear is of my human man’s Promotion whatever that is – it means we will have more of this stuff called money but he will be away from home a lot. Our human lady only disappears for a few hours each day but sometimes we hardly see the human man and when we do, it’s only for a second or two because he says he’s tired. One day he does come out though to tell me that I should be proud because I’ve become a Dadtwiceover. I wonder what that is? It seems to be something good as he is smiling, so I rub up against him until he tells me not to put hairs on his suit.

October 

There seems to be a lot more darkness and less sunshine recently. My humans have bought me a new bed for my little hut (I pee on it immediately!), and put in a thing called a Heater that keeps me nice and warm. I spend quite a lot of time sleeping as there’s only so much you can do by yourself. The girls are never seen nowadays – they spend most of their time upstairs for some reason. Maybe they are on a diet – they certainly needed it because they were both so fat last time I saw them. Me, I’m not fat. I’m not really all that interested in food. Don’t get me wrong – I get plenty, and a nice variety too, but really I only enjoy eating if I have my humans around to give me a bit of a fuss. They seem so busy and when they come to see me, after a few minutes they say “it’s getting chilly, so see you tomorrow old boy!” and off they go again. Old boy indeed.

November 

Excitement! I have a visitor! It’s a very pretty female called Poppy who has lovely silver stripes and smart white paws. She smells delicious and I flatter myself that she thinks I do, too. In fact I did a few extra sprays just for her benefit and she really seemed to appreciate it. I wonder if she’s going to live with me for ever? That would be lovely! Company at last!

December 

Well, Poppy only stayed for a few days and then she was off home again. We did have fun whilst it lasted though, and she promised to try and come again sometime. I am very disappointed when my new humans take me to the bright place where they hurt your neck, but it isn’t quite as bad as that time when I was a baby. I put on a brave face as always and am told how handsome I am, which is always nice to hear. In fact that is the highlight of my month as not much else seems to be happening and, to tell the truth, I’m a bit lonely.

January 

Now I have only the wind and rain for company. A welcome change of scene comes when my humans take me indoors for something called a Bath. I get given one of these now and again. I don’t like Baths but I put up with them because it means I am allowed into the Inner Sanctum, which is more companionable than my hut. The only thing is, I always smell really funny afterwards. I think this bath is connected with the fact that my humans want me to become a Champion at a cat show. I wonder if being a Champion is better than being a Dadtwiceover? What do all these words mean? I’ve not been to a cat show for quite a while so it feels weird travelling in the big noisy car thing again. We seem to go on forages. My human man is driving and my human lady is looking at a picture book, and getting shouted at. They keep peering worriedly at things called road signs in the dark of the early morning. The car keeps lurching this way and that and at one point I fear that last night’s supper is going to reappear, but luckily I manage to hold on to my dignity. To comfort myself I do a nice little pee in my cat carrier and roll in it. This however does nothing to calm the humans. When we get to the show hall it is horribly bright and noisy with all sorts of strange odours. Some of the other cats there smell delicious, but others make me feel angry or – I have to confess – even slightly nervous. A man in a white coat looks at my mouth and then actually touches my rear end in a very coarse way and I growl at him. How would he like it if I did the same to him? I feel tempted, and stretch my claws, but decide better of it. He looks similar to the man who hurt the back of my neck a couple of weeks ago. I don’t like him at all. My humans put me in my show pen and give me a litter tray, blanket and water. As there are no toys I play with the litter a bit to lessen the boredom. It is fun trying to spread it around as much as possible. After a while, two strangers – a man and a woman - come up to my pen, smelling of the smells I don’t like. The man, who is wearing a white coat, puts his hands into my pen and tries to pick me up. It occurs to me that he might be going to do the same thing as the other man in the white coat. I’m not having any of that! As the big pink hand reaches towards me, I try to hide but there is nowhere to go in the small stark cage, and I am suddenly gripped by panic. I do the only thing left open to me. I give a good hard bite to the hand. It is worth it! The yell that the human emits is strangely satisfying. I hold on for a good few seconds, just so they get the message, then let go and do a nice smelly spray to calm myself down.  There are some bright red splashes from the human’s blood on my blanket. I have never seen human blood before and it does worry me a bit. Later on, my humans come and I am so relieved to see them that I rub and purr and am surprised that they don’t seem as pleased to see me as they usually are at shows. Maybe it is because the silly show people have forgotten to give me my usual red or blue rosette. My humans mutter something about a “biting certificate”. That sounds stupid –who needs a certificate in order to bite? I can do it any time! I know how it works now! I get left alone by the nasty smelly strangers when I bite. I am used to being alone now. I prefer it. I am a stud cat.