Crazy bottle drinker and divergent strabismus

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  • 23 May, 2017 at 5:55 pm #859232
    Sooozinn
    Participant

    I rescued little Pancho at 2 weeks old from the barn where I board my horses. He was stolen by a different mama cat and brought into her older litter, where he did not get enough food or warmth. He has been doing GREAT and I appreciate all of your posts as it has gotten me through a few problems 🙂

    Now at about 4 weeks old I have a few questions that I havent seen answers about yet, so finally registered so I could ask.

    First, I have introduced him to wet food, he shows no interest. So I bought kitten food and soak it in his formula and he loves it but struggles to get the nuggets in his mouth since they slip around in the milk in his tupperware top. I’m also still bottle feeding him since I know he’s not quite ready to wean and bops his nose in the milk when trying to lap. The issue i have is his bottle feeding. He is VORACIOUS when drinking his bottle. He is hungry ( he tells me so ) but gets himself so worked up just crazy batting at the bottle. He even unscrews the top with his back and forth razor paws if i dont hold it. If you have experience with this, you know exactly what I’m talking about since it’s hard to explain!

    Is this normal? should i work harder on getting him to lap out of a dish? is the milk not doing it for him or is he just being a stinker? The milk is coming out in a steady flow.. when he flails his little paws he gets it all over his chin. Am i doing something wrong?

    Also, any experience with divergent strabismus (opposite of cross eyes) ? i havent found much online except that if they are born with it they should be fine. His pupils have slowly moved toward the center but are still a little wonky. Wondering if this is a balance issue and why he hops around with his back legs being a bit discombobulated .. i thought he’d be a little more steady on his feet by now.

    thank you thank you thank you!

    23 May, 2017 at 9:35 pm #859236
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    You should probably try and start him on wet canned food first and he will get along better at trying to eat it. I’m not saying he won’t be messy, because he will step in it and you will probably have to wash him after every meal, but you can dilute it with formula and make it easier for him to eat. The grabbing at the bottle is common when they need to graduate to solid food. You can also make a gruel with formula/wet food and put it in the bottle, cutting the tip of the nipple off and giving it to him that way.
    Also, you can put some wet food on your finger and place it in his mouth, or on a spoon. They don’t know what to do with the food until you actually place it in their mouths.

    I don’t have any experience with the eye problems you mention. I would probably let a vet see him and give him a good check up. I don’t know how wobbly your kitten is, but he could have Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH). This just means that he might have a few special needs, but CH cats still make wonderful pets. We have a member here who has a CH cat, and other special needs kitties too.

    23 May, 2017 at 9:36 pm #859237
    Kincaid
    Participant

    I’m going through the same issue with my little bean right now. thankfully, my kitten hasn’t unscrewed the bottle top; but he’s only around 3wks or so.

    I’d like suggest trying a different feeding position, but others know better than I do which will risk aspiration of the milk and which ones are best. {Obviously, on his tummy with his paws extended and head a little raised is the best; but if they flail around it’s harder to make them drink.}

    For now, I’d suggest letting him eat a bit of the wet food off a {clean!} finger, mixed with milk. After kitty has had a few licks and knows there’s food to be had, he might take the bottle easier.

    How often is baby getting fed? The longer I go between feeds the more likely my bean is to flail around and be vocally against the bottle.

    23 May, 2017 at 9:59 pm #859239
    Sooozinn
    Participant

    Thanks for the info about CH! He will definitely be going to the vet in the next week or so, so i’ll bring that up as well!

    He still gets his bottle 3 or 4 times a day. He is always worst with his morning feeding which makes sense since he’s hungry and mad! I have tried the wet food/gruel and 2 different flavors of kitten pate to make it with but he could care less. The soggy nuggets are soft and he loves them when i hand feed him.

    appreciate the words of wisdom! 🙂

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