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Cat Forum / General Topics / August 2005Tongueless cat
Anybody ever heard of a tongueless kitty? In 1998 I found Katie at Myrtle Beach, SC. She was filthy and seemed to be starving so I bought her some food which she acted like she wanted so bad but wouldn't eat it. My next thought was she had a tooth problem so I looked in her mouth and guess what I found? No tongue. Not even a root for one. I felt so sorry for her that at the end of our weekend I packed her up in the car and brought her home with us. Straight to the vet she went which needless to say surprised them! They guessed she was about 6 months old at the time and had been born that way. They did a little exploratory surgery on her mouth and discovered that it had simply never formed. She was very small for her age and heaven only knows how she survived kittenhood and nursing! How could she have possibly suckled on her momma? Anyway after much trial and error I finally found she was able to eat shredded cat food only. She hates 9-lives so God help me if Friskies ever quits making their 2 flavors of shredded food. Anyway, 7 years later she's up to 5 1/2 pounds, which the vet can't believe, and is the love of my life! My biggest problem is her constant "washing". At least that's what she thinks she's doing. But the more she tries, the dirtier she gets. I think that's why she washes herself constantly. She can't understand why she doesn't get cleaner, only more filthy. I have to bathe her which she hates, and would really appreciate any ideas on making that task easier. She tries to bite and scratch even after all these years of them, but I can't afford to have her groomed; most places want $30 just to wash her and it needs to be done every few days. Also, any ideas on how to make homemade food for her? She eats 6-8 cans a day (since she can't eat it all and most of what she gets is the juice) and at 39 cents a can it's awfully expensive. Just wanted to share my special kitty with you guys and hope for some creative ideas on helping her stay clean and neat. I'm not sure how you are washing your cat, but maybe if you use a damp washcloth to give her a bath, instead of dunking her in water. Gently stroke her with the damp cloth--it may remind her of her mom...... How does she drink water without a tongue? >How does she drink water without a tongue? Probably by using it's lungs to "suck" the water in. Catss are adaptable. They will do what is necessary to survive. A number of years ago I had a cat with three legs. (One fell off at birth, the cat adapted fine and got around fine.) ------------------------------------------ http://www.barnabascollins.blogspot.com >I'm not sure how you are washing your cat, but maybe if you use a damp >washcloth to give her a bath, instead of dunking her in water. Gently >stroke her with the damp cloth--it may remind her of her mom...... > >How does she drink water without a tongue? I've had her for 7 years and trust me, I originally tried the damp washcloth method. Problem is, she's so filthy all the time that it just doesn't get the goo off. She truly washes constantly! I mean, if she's not asleep, she is trying to groom. Of course the more she tries, the worse she gets, so the more she tries. It's a never ending cycle. As for drinking water, I've only once or twice seen her try, but she mainly bites at it like she does her food. She does love evaporated milk though. I'm not sure how much she actually gets down, because most of it seems to end up on the wall, the floor and her head! > Anybody ever heard of a tongueless kitty? In 1998 I found Katie at > Myrtle Beach, SC. She was filthy and seemed to be starving so I bought [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > sorry for her that at the end of our weekend I packed her up in the car > and brought her home with us. Poor, sweet, little baby. She was so lucky to have you find her and take care of her. She has made a valiant effort to survive, and you've made it possible for her to do so. As far as bathing her, since her coat needs frequent/constant attention, I would suggest using a wet and wrung out washcloth, or better yet, there are disposable wipes available at places like PetSmart for cleaning their coats. Perhaps a periodic bathing would be good, but for routine cleaning one of these options is probably better. As far as food goes, I once had a kitten with a serious digestive problem for whom I had to cook. The major issue here is getting the proper nutrition, since commercial cat foods are specifically balanced with the nutrients a cat needs. I was able to get a special supplement powder from my vet that I mixed with the food I cooked. Of course, you know the texture of the food best that Katie is able to eat on her own. I would suggest cooking chicken and beef until very tender, then shredding to the right consistency with two forks. HTH, and best of luck and love to Katie! She sounds like a very special little furbaby, indeed!  SignatureWayne Boatwright *¿* ____________________________________________ Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day. Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974 --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 0531-1, 08/02/2005 Tested on: 8/2/2005 10:59:06 PM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2005 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com > Anybody ever heard of a tongueless kitty? In 1998 I found Katie at Myrtle > Beach, SC. She was filthy and seemed to be starving so I bought her some food [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > kitty with you guys and hope for some creative ideas on helping her stay > clean and neat. What an amazing survivor you have there! Here are some ideas which you might find helpful: Slightly dampen a cloth in some warm water and use short and gentle strokes to bathe Katie so she doesn't become startled or resistant (she must be cleaned). You may be able to coax her in a tub, later on--but Katie can use all of the gentleness and careful care, given her difficult start in this world! As far as her food is concerned (and I think another poster might have generously mentioned this already) is boil some chicken or beef and shred it well and serve. There are numerous sites with recipes for your cat--just add the shredded meat and you're good to go. (http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/home_cooked.htm) One question: How does Katie comsume water (and how did she survive doing so in the past, any ideas?)...? Have you observed her consuming water or do you have have to administer it, somehow? (I have not been able to find any information, so far, about Katie's unique situation.) I hope you find home-made cat food recipes that are nutritous. :-) >How could she have possibly suckled on >her momma? Probably through the employmnent of gravity as well as sucking with her mouth. It's entirely possible, just no easy. Remeber when you suck you are using your lungs to draw air into the mouth, the tongue itlsef only provides 1. taste buds 2. guidance to guide the chewed food down to the throat. I would also add cats do an amazing job of adapting to what they need to do to survive. > Anyway after much trial and error I finally found she was able to >eat shredded cat food only. She hates 9-lives so God help me if Friskies ever >quits making their 2 flavors of shredded food. I would think your best bet is talk to your vet. I would think the cat should be able to eat, although you may need to keep the quantities small. >Anyway, 7 years later she's up >to 5 1/2 pounds, which the vet can't believe, and is the love of my life! My [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >cleaner, only more filthy. I have to bathe her which she hates, and would >really appreciate any ideas on making that task easier. The problem is cats use their tongue to groom themselves. >She tries to bite and >scratch even after all these years of them, but I can't afford to have her >groomed; most places want $30 just to wash her and it needs to be done every >few days. Maybe get some books on cat grooming and/or take grooming classss? > Also, any ideas on how to make homemade food for her? She eats 6-8 >cans a day (since she can't eat it all and most of what she gets is the juice) >and at 39 cents a can it's awfully expensive. Just wanted to share my special >kitty with you guys and hope for some creative ideas on helping her stay >clean and neat. I would talk to your vet. My first concern would be can your cat get all the nutrients it needs from the gravy? I have no idea about that, I'd suggest consulting your vet. ------------------------------------------ http://www.barnabascollins.blogspot.com I've had her for 7 years and trust me, I originally tried the damp washcloth method. Problem is, she's so filthy all the time that it just doesn't get the goo off. She truly washes constantly! I mean, if she's not asleep, she is trying to groom. Of course the more she tries, the worse she gets, so the more she tries. It's a never ending cycle. As for drinking water, I've only once or twice seen her try, but she mainly bites at it like she does her food. She does love evaporated milk though. I'm not sure how much she actually gets down, because most of it seems to end up on the wall, the floor and her head! The vet I go to has been very suprised and happy with her good health and says that the Friskies shredded cat food I feed her supplies her with enough nutrients and moisture since I feed her so many cans. Honestly, I've never asked them about other food options. I have thought about it more lately and think that using a food processer with meats would be a good idea but I was not sure about the amount or types of liquid I should use. Thanks, for the ideas about chicken and beef. I also have searched the web high and low, even sites that are all about cats with "weird" issues, but I've never found anything at all about a cat born without a tongue. I have tried probably every item ever sold in a pet store for grooming on her but nothing really helps that much. The main problem is the food she eats is so gooey that she starts grooming as soon as she eats and gets it all in her fur. I tell people she uses her hair for dental floss. I do use a fine toothed rake to brush her but that doesn't really get the goo part of the food off of her. I also use those tooth wipes to clean out her mouth (which she hates) but it still seems to not help very much. I mainly need to know any easy way to bathe her without keeping my arms totally scratched up! > The vet I go to has been very suprised and happy with her good health and > says that the Friskies shredded cat food I feed her supplies her with [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > need to know any easy way to bathe her without keeping my arms totally > scratched up! " also have searched the web high and low, even sites that are all about cats with "weird" issues, but I've never found anything at all about a cat born without a tongue." Probably because most of those poor kittens do not survive more than a few days. Your cat is truly remarkable. (call Riply's believe it or not, they might pay you to include your cat on their show) The damp washcloth is really your only option besides complete bathing. You may have to wipe her 4-6 times a day to keep up else, kitty can learn to enjoy baths. A very dilute amount of soap followed by clean water will help get through the oils. Once the cat is thoroughly clean, it should be easier (but not easy) to keep her clean. Brushing with a wet brush may also work. Maybe not a full on hair brush but maybe something like a felt lint brush. There are also leave in soaps and shampoos (sold to humans on camping trips for example) you can use. No risk kitty will lick it off and get sick. As for the constant licking, it may be a nervous habit that could be controlled with antidepressants. Not a preferred solution but a realistic option (kitty prozac). Your cat is 7 years old, no doubt he has adapted to his condition. You may just have to accept things the way they have been. >As for the constant licking, Is that a "play" on words? I found that remark quite cute! Thanks! Does she make any sounds without a tongue? Have you tried to give her milk using an eyedropper? > Anybody ever heard of a tongueless kitty? In 1998 I found Katie at Myrtle > Beach, SC. She was filthy and seemed to be starving so I bought her some food [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > kitty with you guys and hope for some creative ideas on helping her stay > clean and neat. >Does she make any sounds without a tongue? She meows like any other cat. I guess her voicebox is all she needs for that. I'm constantly having to clean hair out of her mouth though, since she constantly grooms and all the hair she pulls out ends up in her mouth. I've tried desperately to find something on the internet re: any other cats like her but can't seem to find anything. No one seems to have ever heard of a cat without a tongue! My baby sure is special. >>Does she make any sounds without a tongue? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > other cats like her but can't seem to find anything. No one seems to > have ever heard of a cat without a tongue! My baby sure is special. Like I said earlier, what a sweet baby! She deserves all the love and care she can get. She is lucky to have you. SignatureWayne Boatwright *¿* ____________________________________________ Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day. Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974 --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 0531-2, 08/03/2005 Tested on: 8/3/2005 10:12:23 PM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2005 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com A suggestion for water--you know those that they use for hampsters and such-- where the bottle is upside down and only releases water when messed with? Maybe up at a higher level it would go into her mouth easier? Sorry, I can't think of a better way to describe it. When I was at the vet I saw a spray that you spray on and wipe off--maybe something like that? Much love to you and your precious one! Sincerely, Jen >>>Does she make any sounds without a tongue? >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Like I said earlier, what a sweet baby! She deserves all the love and care >she can get. She is lucky to have you. "As for the constant licking," Is that a play on words?! Sorry, but I found that rather humorous. |
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