Why Should I Hand Raise?

The most common reason we hand-raise Big Cat cub at zoos is rejection by their mothers. Some female cats. also suffer “toxic milk” syndromes with sudden death of the cubs. When she has another litter of cubs, they are safer when they are raised by hand.

Within the entertainment community, some trainers prefer hand-raised animals. Others hand raise their cubs for photoshoot endeavors. This is not to say that hand-raised Big Cats are any less dangerous that those raised by their natural parents. In many cases, hand-raised Big Cats are more dangerous.

Insuring The Cub's Health:

Ideally, the cubs should nurse their mothers for the first 72 hours of their lives. This is so that they receive the antibody-rich colostrum (first milk), which protects them against intestinal and respiratory infections. When this is not possible, some zoos give a prophylactic (preventative) injection of 0.2-0.4ml of penicillin G, benzathine (Flocillin). Some tie off and disinfect the umbilicus of newborns -but this is really not necessary.

In cases where no colostrum was provided, some facilities add 5-10 ml of blood serum from a healthy mature exotic cat of the same species to the milk formula for the first four days.

The dates, ages and amounts of formula I give in this article are only suggestions. No two facilities raise their cats exactly the same - yet most are quite successful when their programs approximates mine.

Formula Mixes:

In the first three feedings, I feed a 5-10% dextrose solution instead of formula. Although cats have a limited ability to digest dextrose, these feedings give the kitten and the caregiver time to adjust to each other and develop a successful feeding technique. If aspirations into the lungs does occur with dextrose, it is not as serious as it would have been had milk been fed.

Domestic cat milk replacement diluted one part powder to two parts boiled water is my formula of choice when feeding large cat cubs. For the first 2 days, I feed cubs a diluted formula (half strength) in volumes of 50-70 ml every 2 to 3 hr to enhance appetite and minimize gastrointestinal problems. I either use KMR produced by the Pet Ag Company (Borden’s) or Hartz Advanced Care kitten milk replacement (WalMart Stores Inc.).

Because these products contain lactose from cow’s milk I add one crushed Lactaid or Equate Lactase Dairy Digestive Supplement to four cups (960ml, one quart) of formula. If bloating is still a problem I add four drops of simethicone (Equate Infants’ Gas Relief, WalMart Stores Inc.). I also try to vary the size of the holes in the rubber bottle nipple, feed smaller amounts more frequently, and change the position of the cub during feeding. During subsequent weeks, I increase milk volume and decrease feeding frequency.

In areas of the World where powdered domestic cat milk substitutes are not available, I know of two formulas that have been used successfully. The first consists of mixture of 20 grams skim milk powder dissolved in 90 ml warm water to which 10 ml of corn oil or 30 grams of egg yolk has been added. A second formula consists of one cup of evaporated cows milk, one cup of boiled warm water, four raw egg yolks, four tablespoons full of plain (whole fat) yogurt and six drops of infant multivitamins (Poly-Vi-Sol, Mead Johnson, WalMart Inc.). These cows’ milk-based formulas work best if one crushed Lactose-digesting tablet (Lactaid, McNeil-PPC Inc., Equate Dairy Digestive Supplement, WalMart Stores Inc. ) is added to each four cups of milk. However, I do not know if these lactase tablets are available Worldwide.

Tiger cubs have also be successfully reared nursing directly from sows. A reader brought to my attention that raw egg yolks could contain Salmonella bacteria. This is true. However, only 0.003% of eggs in the USA contain Salmonella. So one would have to use 30,000 eggs to find one contaminated one. But to be safe, place the eggs in water that you have brought to 140F for 3.5 minutes before using them. This will kill any Salmonella that might be present. In the United States, one can also buy pasteurized eggs which are salmonella-free. A brand sold on the East Coast is Davidson's Pasteurized Eggs, while SISCO's Imperial Pasteurized Shell Eggs are sold throughout the Country.

Nursing Bottles:
Newborn human infant nursing bottles work well for tigers and lions. Leopards do better with two or four ounce livestock nursing bottles. Take a flame-heated needle and melt a single additional hole in the gum rubber nipple. The milk should only drip out when the bottle is vigorously shaken. Too many holes or too large a hole increase the likelihood that the milk will be inhaled. Too small a hole(s) can lead to gas buildup and colic.

Some facilities are comfortable giving milk formula by stomach tube. Using a tube placed directly in the stomach cuts down the time and effort involved in feeding. A sixty-milliliter catheter tipped syringe with a cut off rubber catheter works well for this procedure. Because the cubs enjoy sucking on the bottle and infant rearing is not a common or mass production event - I rarely feed via tube. It is also easier to overfeed when using a stomach tube and the possibility exists of putting the tube accidentally in the trachea (windpipe) instead of the esophagus.

How Much Should I Feed?

A useful rule of thumb I use to determining how much formula to feed is to offer the cub 3-4% of its body weight at each feeding. So, a just-born 2.9-pound (1,300-gram) newborn tiger cub receives 39 – 52 milliliters of formula each feeding, and a four-week-old ten-pound (4500-gram) cub gets 154-180 ml. For their first six weeks feed them eight times a day. If you choose another feeding schedule then calculate that the cub should receive about twenty five percent of its body weight during a twenty-for hour period. Very young cats take somewhat more than twenty five percent and older infants somewhat less.

Beginning when the cubs are seven weeks old add about one jar of Gerber’s strained baby meats to two cups of milk formula. Be sure that none of the baby foods contain onion. A week later begin to offer small scraps of chicken and beef in a bowel as well as a bowel of water. At this stage bottle feeding the cubs five times a day is sufficient.

The following example is a tiger cub nursed from day one:

Some facilities begin feeding meats as early as four weeks of age and wean the cats as early as eleven weeks of age. We tend to over feed rather than under feed. Mother-raised infants gain weight at a considerably slower rate.

How Often Should I Feed?

Infant cubs should be fed eight times a day beginning the second day. On the first day feed them six times. It is sufficient to get up once at midnight for an evening feeding and begin feeding again every two to three hours during the day. If the kitten’s stomach is still distended delay feeding an hour and massage it’s belly.

What Technique Should I Use?

Always give the bottle with the formula at slightly above room temperature. The biggest hazard in hand feeding is inhalation of milk into the windpipe and lungs causing aspiration pneumonia. To prevent this always feed the cubs with their sternum or rib cage and belly flat against the table in the same position a cub would nurse its mother. The second most common cause of milk inhalation is too many or too large of holes in the rubber nipple. Use a hot pin to poke holes in the nipple. Droplets should shake out when the bottle is vigorously shaken but they should not run out. Too few holes cause too much air to be ingested with the formula. If air colic occurs a few drops of infant colic relief (Equate Infants’Gas Relief, WalMart Stores Inc.) will solve the problem.

What Are Some Of The Problems That Can Arise?

I mentioned that the most common problem I see bottle feeding infant large cats is inhalation of formula into the lungs because the infants were nursed upright or on their backs. At the first sign of sputtering or choking or milk exiting the nostrils place the cub with its head straight down and shake it gently. Over feeding contributes to this problem. When pneumonia occurs I place the cubs on ammoxicillin or cephalexacin (10mg/lb twice a day of either).

Constipation:

Constipation is common when the formula is mixed too rich. Keep a close watch on the cub’s stools. They should be firm, the color and consistency of apple butter. If the stools are too hard feed several scheduled feedings of Gatorade or ringers solution or double the amount of water in the formula until the problem resolves. In severe cases a bit of domestic cat hairball remedy or lactulose will allow them to pass the stools.

Diarrhea:

Watery or mucoid stools are more serious. Should they occur dilute and increase the number of feedings and send a sample of the stool for bacterial culture and parasite analysis. Some of these cubs will need subcutaneous fluid administration (20ml/lb lactated ringer’s solution) to combat dehydration as well as antibiotics. These are usually cubs that received no colostrum. Some will be lost. Urine should be straw-colored and never cloudy, pink or odiforous.
Persistent diarrhea can also result from contaminated formula, over feeding as well as feeding too rich a diet or cow’s milk. Water used to prepare formula should be boiled. Formula should be kept chilled in ice water until just before use and unused formula discarded. Nursing bottles should be boiled between uses. When diarrhea occurs the cubs should be fed four or five feedings of oral electrolytes instead of milk formula followed by formula diluted 50:50 with water. Severe cases need subcutaneous injections of electrolyte.

Hair Loss:

It is quite common for the cubs of great cats to begin loosing hair (alopecia) when they are six or seven weeks old. This does not appear to happen in the wild so it is most likely due to some deficiency in the diets we feed them. Adding homogenized liver to the formula apparently prevent this. However, some liver contains enough vitamin A and D to be toxic to the cubs. It is safer to just wean these cubs to sold foods a bit earlier. Once they are taking a balanced solid meat diet the problem will resolve.

Over Feeding:

One should resist the natural urge to over-feed the cubs. Rapid growth is unnecessary and undesirable. Cubs that grow too rapidly are at risk of later loose joints and arthritis. In these cubs muscle growth outpaces development of the skeleton distorting the normal curvature of the long bones of the body.

Stimulating Urination and Elimination:

At the conclusion of every feeding take a small amount of cotton or facial tissue soaked in warm water and gently wipe the area surrounding the anus and urinary orifice. Massaging this area will stimulate the cub to urinate and defecate. By the time the cubs are five weeks old they should be able to eliminate on their own.

First Solids:

Beginnings at seven weeks, add strained baby meats without onion to the cub’s formula and introduce small scraps of meat in a bowl in the nursery. I usually start with small squares of chicken, lamb, pork or beef. Remove the bones for now. They can also be given canned Friskies boufet chicken and beef entrees. Smear a bit on the palate of the cub’s mouth to get them started. Be sure to sprinkle crushed calcium tablets (3000mg) and two crushed Centrum or equivalent generic vitamin to every four pounds of meat. Many facilities attempt to cut expenses by feeding meat and poultry not fit for human consumption. Although many facilities have done quite well for years feeding this food source , please remember that condemned carcasses are more likely to contain disease bacteria. I would only use human food-grade meats in animals under 5 months of age.

Once they are twelve weeks old give raw chicken breast with the bones left in.. Please also read my article entitled Diet Feeding And Nutritional Care Of Tigers Lions And Leopards. Place a shallow metal dish of water down for them to learn how to drink water.
Weaning should be complete by the time the cubs reach twelve to thirteen weeks of age.