UPDATE 7/14: Tater’s left “bonker” was slipping so we popped into the ortho to get it redone.

UPDATE 7/12: Tater got his very own facebook page for our little potato and his Spudbuds

UPDATE 7/11: (orthopedic vet): The orthopedic specialist we recently met with recommended splinting Tater’s front legs to (hopefully) correct the malformations on those limbs without requiring surgery.  When he gets his “bonkers” off, we look at his progress to determine next steps.

For his back legs, we will need to wait until he is a few months old and has enough bone density for his leggies to show up on an x-ray before we determine any actions for them.  The vet wants to have a good idea of what, exactly, is going on with those limbs before attempting to correct them.

UPDATE 7/6: (oral vet) We had our first appointment with the vet and she said he is looking great so far. Due to the severity of his cleft, Tater is unable to bottle feed and his foster mom will be tube feeding him for the foreseeable future.  We are hoping he may be able to eat some food on his own in a few weeks, but he will likely need supplemental tube feeding regardless to ensure he is getting enough calories to grow big and strong. 

The Dr. is hoping to see the cleft get smaller on its own as he grows, it’s still a “wait and see” and options will be addressed as time goes on.

Tater Tot was found abandoned in one of the rural community cat colonies we have been helping TNvR. The colony’s caretaker attempted to locate the rest of the litter and mom, but was unsuccessful. She brought Tater Tot in and attempted to bottle feed him overnight, but he was really struggling to get the hang of it so she contacted us and it was decided to move him to one of our more experienced bottle fosters for help. 

Upon receiving Tater Tot, we realized he was having difficulty eating due to his cleft palate and immediately stopped attempting to bottle feed.  He has been tube fed ever since and is continuing to make progress.

In addition to being born with a severe cleft palate, Tater Tot has malformation of all four of his legs.  His front legs are bent at a 90 degree angle, causing him to walk on his tip toes or the tops of his paws, and his back legs are completely curled in.  He has feeling and motion in all four legs, but getting around is definitely a challenge for him. Tater Tot will likely need to have his cleft palate repaired, but he needs to be much bigger before that surgery can be done, so for now, we are just helping him to grow and focusing on helping his mobility issues

If you would prefer, you can make a one-time donation via Venmo or PayPal or you can enroll as a MONTHLY donor on our ComPASSIONATE CrusAIDer page.