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SUCH AS BOBCATS AND SERVALS
Ron Hines, DVM PhD 4/29/06
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.