Manx Kitten, Nigel

[Nytsur]

Hello All,

I see there's a bunch of information here already about how to take care of handicapped animals, and I plan to read it. However, I have a strong need to explain my situation in asking for help and advice.

About Nigel

I adopted Nigel from my niece, who had found him and his 9 siblings in the field behind her house. They were mewling and attempting to nurse from their mother, who had apparently died of wounds sustained from being hit by a car. The litter was too young to walk, but they all had steel-blue/gray eyes that they would squint in bright light. I already had 3 cats (Jack, Zoe, and Tiberius) and was reluctant to take any of the kittens in. We found homes for them all - my niece was able to convince my sister (who is not an animal person) to adopt one as well - except Nigel.

He was the runt of the litter, much smaller than his siblings. He could comfortably curl up in a teacup when we found him, and would barely drink a quarter ounce of formula when bottle-fed. He was also the only one with no tail, and when he would raise his whiskered cheeks and open his mouth to cry there was no sound. He was the ugly duckling of his litter. I hadn't a choice, and so I took him in to my happy and growing family.

We bottle fed him, and wrapped him in blankets, and microwaved small pillows to warm him while we were away at work. He spent his days in the bathroom, locked safely away from the other, larger cats of the house. Nigel grew into a normal, playful, happy kitty. He has bonded with Tiberius, a 2 year old red-tabby, and are nearly inseparable now. Where Tiberius goes, Nigel is sure to follow: eating/drinking, playing, napping, bathing, and strutting for the attention of his human caretakers. Nigel even follows Tiberius to the litter box, but for Nigel the litter box seems a mystery.

Nigel's Health

Nigel will use the litter box for both natural needs, and dutifully buries his mess when complete. However, it seems that this is coincidence. Nigel will wet himself in his sleep, defecate while he's playing, and seems surprised that there's a sudden and smelly mess where he was formerly enjoying his toys.

Nigel has been neutered, vaccinated, and examined. His vet think's he has spina bifida, a common malady of the Manx. To be sure would cost an MRI, which I cannot afford, and does little to solve Nigel's problem. He is a normal kitty, now only 5 months old, excepting for his litter box habits.

The Problem with Nigel

I have a baby daughter, 8 months old and crawling all over the house. With Nigel, also frolicking all over the house and making messes in random places, we have come to an impasse, seemingly. We cannot, of course, risk our daughter finding a mess and becoming ill - though this has not happened, with busy lives it is a real possibility. I spend much of my time at home looking for Nigel's messes and cleaning them up, keeping our home clean and safe.

My wife is ready to get rid of Nigel. This, I fear, is a death sentence for a baby (Nigel) who cannot help his problem - he is perfectly normal save for his litter box habits... Though I am not financially able to do a lot in the way of medical solutions, I am quite dedicated to saving Nigel's life and allowing him the ability to lead a full and fun life. My wife insists that Nigel be locked in a crate while we are away, or give him to a shelter and let them deal with him...

I cannot allow that.

The Dilemma

Spending 12 hours in a crate, away from his adopted brother and the joys a cat exploring a house experiences is not a life for a baby-kitty. I want him to have a full and active life, not a life limited by his disability. I need to find a solution that grants my Nigel a fulfilled life, and my wife the surety that her house is clean and safe for our daughter. I am between a rock and a hard spot.

I need help... I fear I will come home from work one day and he will be gone due to my wife... I'm scared for him.

I know you all understand my plight - he has a soul and a mind, he loves his family... he needs my help, but I don't know how to do it and keep peace with my wife. He is like one of my kids - and I would never get rid of a kid because he/she was difficult to care for.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.


Nigel and Tiberius, then just Nigel.

[Christine]

Oh my goodness, what a little sweetheart! Our cat experts will be along, but in the meantime, it seems to me that expressing him will solve the majority of your problems. We have good instructions and videos to help you learn that. Have you taken him to the vet since you've had him to make sure nothing else is going on? The vet can also help you learn to express.

Thank you for posting his adorable pictures!

[Christine]

Here are a couple of Yahoo groups you might want to join. One is for special needs cat owners and the other is for manx cat owners

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Manxies_coti/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Spec ... scue_Cats/

[BendyMom]

express him and put a diaper on him! problem solved!
i have two cats in diapers
i do like to give them some diaper free time to air their lil butts out, and putting him in a large crate with his buddy for this would probably be fine. I line the crate with puppy pads for clean up, the Nature's Miracle pads do wonders for odor control. Cats adjust well to being confined for periods of time, believe me, i've done it quite a bit. Butterbean has a 4 ft x 4 ft pen that he stays in during the day, then in the evening he comes out and the kittens go in the pen (he is not kitten safe)

you might have al ittle trouble getting teh diaper to stay on since Nigel doesn't have a tail. get some vet wrap (or Coflex - similar stuff different, cheaper, brand) and make an extra waist band with it.

i applaud your dedication to the little guy! and those are super sweet picts

[Sasha's Mom]

What an adorable little kitty and kudos to you for your chivalry in keeping Nigel from harm's way.

I have to agree with BendyMom to try the diaper routine. I did it successfully for my baby when it was needed.
Not sure if not having a tail will present a problem. Does Nigel have a rudimentary tail extension from his spine? If so, the diaper should stay intact.

You need to buy the smallest size available, which will be newborn. (Guessing you are already familiar with that!)
Watch this great video on how to make a kitty diaper, making sure the cut you make for the tail is small:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnVCtifcAnc

You can look through this thread viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15492 and find several videos showing how each of us learn to express our cats. What works for one, may not work for another and in a few weeks time, you will find what works best for you and Nigel. It's a very quick process once you get the hang of it and not as daunting as it may appear at first blush.

As BendyMom also stated, being in a kennel is not a big deal for a kitten or cat. They may meow the first few minutes, but settle down quickly.
It is possible Nigel may outgrow his incontinence and become retentive. That's what happened with Sasha. Learning to express Nigel's bladder and bowels now, may save you a great deal of trouble with the messes. Between expressing and diapering, everyone should stay safe and happy.

Please keep us updated and wishing you all the best.

Warm regards,
Leah

[Nytsur]

Thank you all for the kind words and help.

Nigel has only a little nubbin' for a tail, it's 1/2 inch long. I think that probably qualifies as having no tail. I will try some diaper ideas on him, see how they hold up.

It looks like I have my work cut out for me. I will let you all know how it goes...

[BendyMom]

a half an inch is plenty for a tail!
should help hold the diaper in place.
you'll figure it out, and soon it will be old hat.
picts! we need picts of him in his diaper!

[LisainCAN]

HI there,

It absolutely sounds like Manx Syndrome. In my opinion, and I am not a vet, an MRI is not necessary as it will not change the outcome.

As someone who has had 4 Manx Syndrome cats (with varying degrees of Sydrome) over the years, I second diapering and/or expressing. Personally I have only ever tried diapering because I have a different set-up here but expressing would be beneficial.

Your dedication to Nigel is commendable and inspiring. By the way, for some strange reason, the tailless cats are the most affectionate!

Lisa.

[Nytsur]

Progress report...

Sooo, I can't seem to figure out how to keep a diaper on him... He gets out of them so easily and it takes me so long to get one on him.

Any advice on how to counter his Houdini ways?

[BendyMom]

well, what I did for Legume was buy a baby onesie and put that on over the diaper. to keep the onesie from sliding off his shoulder, I put a collar on him, cut two holes in the onesies neckline and threaded the collar through. that seemed to work. Gumie was so active he seemed to just run right out of anything.

any luck expressing him?

[Christine]

Found these pictures of another solution for a tiny kitten. They cut a hole in a sanitary napkin and used it for a diaper and held it in place with the top of a tube sock.

I've also seen a picture of a tiny kitten where they used a baby sock and cut leg holes in it which made the sock a little pair of pants to hold on a diaper.

[BendyMom]

having a moment of 'why didn't i ever think of that with all the creative diapering i've done'

[Christine]

'cause you stopped when you found something that worked...

[Christine]

This is what I was talking about, but it's not a baby sock and there are four holes cut in it.

As Nigel grows, if he still needs a diaper, you could use larger versions of this with bigger socks. You could also make the same idea by cutting the sleeve of a long-sleeved t-shirt. (Cut it so it is long enough to fit his body; use the stretchy cuff end as the top;sew across the open end and cut four holes for his legs.


The information below and the picture comes from our wiki on this subject...take a look. http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawik ... male_wraps

My incontinent kitten's diaper was made from ankle socks with 4 holes cut out for the legs, one for the tail and then lined with a slim maxi-pad (the ankle hole was for the neck). The 4 leg holes kept him from slipping out of it, and maxi pads are a lot cheaper than diapers.

[BendyMom]

that kitten is so fricking cute i might have to dress mine up in socks for the heck of it.....
and it probably works a lot better than my puppy pad idea.
oh Cherrryyyyyy............

maxipads can be purchased at the Dollar Tree supersuper cheap, much cheapher than diapers.