Raising Orphaned
Big Cats
Including Ocelots
Bobcats And Servals
 
Ron
Hines, DVM PhD
Ocelot and Bobcat kittens
raised on a diet of powdered KMR or Nurturall KitttenPowder mixed
at a ratio of 1 part powder and 2 parts water generally have good
weight gain and development. Multi-MilkS (Pet-Ag, Inc.) has the
same ratio of protein to fat content, but the fat content is from
butterfat, high in lactose, not coconut oil, which is used in
some of the other milk substitutes. Esbilac similarly, it has
the same protein and fat percentages, but fat is derived from
butterfat. The lower the lactose-containing ingredients in whichever
formula you use, the less the tendency to bloat, flatulence and
respiratory distress. Use of these products in very young ocelot
kittens may cause diarrhea. If a kitten is not thriving
on a particular formula or not posting expected weight gain (in
the absence of other limiting factors such as illness or parasites),
try another mixture. Unless the kittens are exceptionally small,
use a human infant nursing bottle with a juice nipple or a formula
nipple with holes large enough to pass the formula in response
to the kitten's suckling. Feed the young ocelot in a ventrally
recumbent position (tummy down) , not on its back or sitting up.
Sit with the kitten in your lap or on the floor or table on a
pad, hold the head with the chin parallel to the floor and let
the kitten nurse from natural position. As the kitten's strength
and coordination develop, it may brace its front end up on its
forelegs. Later, it may sit back on its haunches or stand and
take the bottle in its front paws. Once it starts eating from
a dish, beware. Ocelots are very protective of their food and
dishes, and removal of a dish without an immediate substitute
may result in a slashed hand.
Upon intake, kittens should
be warmed and stabilized before any feeding is attempted. First
feedings should be of a warmed electrolyte solution such as Lactated
Ringer's Solution, one half strength or Lactated Ringers' Solution
with 2.5% Dextrose, or a similar physiologically ally balanced
solution which, along with appropriate syringes, is available
through my web page. Once the kittens are hydrated and sucking
well, gradually introduce mixed formula with the electrolyte solution,
25% per day, until the kittens are taking full strength formula.
Some kittens may not take well to the electrolyte solution, so
the process of introducing formula may have to be accelerated.
If diarrhea occurs, dilute the formula and work back gradually
to full strength.
Ideally, kittens should be
fed every 2 hours over a 16-hour day, or at least 8 times a day,
for the first 10-14 days. Smaller feedings at a higher frequency
may be needed to meet the caloric needs of the infants and to
prevent bloating or diarrhea from overfeeding. Ocelot kittens
should receive 35-40% of their body weight in daily feedings as
a rule of thumb. Reduce the number of daily feedings gradually,
starting after the eyes open at 9-10 days. Strained baby meat,
rice or high-protein baby cereal may be added to the formula in
small amounts, keeping the mixture fluid enough to pass through
the nipple without danger of aspiration to the kitten. If your
fearful that they did not receive colostrums, you can add amoxicillin
@ 10-20mg/kg three times a day to their formula.
Small bites of chicken, turkey,
beef and fresh fish, with appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements
may be offered after three weeks of age. Kittens should be encouraged
to lap at four weeks and take solid foods from a dish starting
at six weeks of age. Weaning should be complete by two months,
when their teeth have fully erupted. Then gradually wean them
to a high quality diet such as ZuPreem ‘s Canned Exotic
Feline Diet, Nebraska Brand Wild Feline Formula, Mazuri’s
small wild feline formula or other brands of frozen food with
no less than 23% protein and 15-20% fat. Killed mice and chicks
should be part of the diet by 2 1/2 months of age. You can start
live prey training at 2 ½ - 3 months of age if the animal is to be released. But in the evenings,
offer a balanced
diet throughout the time the cat is in your care. Chicken necks
and backs are not adequate for good health and should not be feed.
They contain over 50% minerals (ash) leading to kidney stones
as well as a reverse calcium/phosphorus ratio leading to rickets.
The youngsters should be hunting well and killing prey by four
or five months of age. Depending on the season, and threats by
hunters, you can release them at four to six months of age - once
the animals are repeatedly successful in hunting living prey such
as rats, mice, rabbits, lizards and fish. A pyrethrin or rotenone
dust available through our web page can be used to control fleas
and other external parasites. Internal worming medications are
also available here.
I recommend a multi-vitamin
supplement during the entire captive period, as well as added
taurine and Anti-oxidants - especially if you are preparing your
own diets. . Special attention needs to be paid to providing just
enough Vitamin A and D. Calcium and phosphorus should be in the
ratio of 2 or 2.5 to 1 if commercially prepared diets do not constitute
the bulk of their food.
Adult ocelots and bobcats in rehabilitation, weighing
between 25 and 35 pounds, will eat 1 1/2-2 pounds of food per
day on average. They average 4-8% of their body weight eaten per
day. Younger, growing animals should eat 15-25% of
their body weight per day. They may not recognize commercial diets
as food, so every effort should be made to provide natural prey
items such as mice, rats and rabbits (occasionally chicks or quail).
I recommend a vitamin-mineral supplementation with Vionate (Rich
Health), at 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds or a good pediatric multivitamin
at about one drop per pound of body weight. Later, a cage, and
tree branches for climbing will require a cage 4'x 4' x 4'for
a litter of ocelot kittens. Until they are completely weaned,
the kittens must still be accessible for capture and bottle-feeding.
Once small wild felines are
weaned, they can be moved outdoors into a natural-like enclosure.
I construct mine of vinyl-coated 18 gauge galvanized welded wire
or chain-link fence. I prefer concrete floors for sanitation,
but chain-link can be buried a few feet down into sandy floors,
sloping inward and the animals will not escape. However, if you
do that, hookworms, toxascaris, strongyloides and other parasites
tend to build up numbers on the dirt floors and these floors are
hard to keep clean. Even a steam jenny will not kill ascarid eggs
on cement so periodic worming is a necessity. A secondary fence
is a really good idea – both to prevent escape and to prevent
feral cats, raccoons and opossums from transmitting diseases to
the cats through the wire of the primary enclosure.
The top must be securely covered. I like log platforms
of different heights, and areas where the cats can hide. Grass
floors do not stand up to cat traffic and cannot be sanitized.
Some might use sections of Astroturf that can be washed and dried
but I like to use old tree stumps on heavily trowels, non-broom
finish cement. They can become quite slippery but stumps and snags
help you keep your footing. The floors should never remain wet
or damp for long periods. Fecal specimens should be checked monthly
for parasites. Nemex is safe and effective in small wild cats
and is often given monthly to prevent hook and roundworms; it
is available through our web page as are all pharmaceuticals.
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