Editing WS:Felines Culture (section)

=Survival of the Fittest=
Until recently, a cub who was not of great health and strength would be unlikely to survive the trip out of the birthing chamber.  Further, a cub born with another of exceptional promise would occasionally die so as not to 'confuse the ancestors'.  All the promise and resources of the family would be bestowed upon the single child.

In recent years, the quietly acknowledged increasing infertility of the Banbutsunoreichou, especially of the Torareichou, has affected this practice.  It has always been the practice for a dame, or soon-to-be dame to have a single attendant, a trained midwife.  This attendant, always an elderly dame would have been responsible for the deciding and enacting the cubs' fate, usually ruling very harshly.  Obviously, they must be a trusted member of the household and are usually consulted on a range of other issues.  These attendants are now much more likely determine a cub will survive than they used to.  There is an increasing amount of room for cubs who are less physically and martially inclined, although one with an obvious deformity will still likely not survive.