Thumper, my Manx Syndrome kitten....

Hello everyone! I am new to this site and joined it specifically because I have recently become the care taker for a (roughly) 12 week old male, long haired manx syndrome kitten. The original owner was talking about just letting him run away because of the care required for this "special needs kitten", and I just couldn't stomach that.. so here I am. He has been in the home less than 24 hours and his permanent residence is still pending, as my two cats are not very thrilled about this addition to the family... Only time will tell on that one though. =/

Anyway, the reason for this post is to glean advice and working knowledge from anyone who has been here before. He is a 'rumpie' with the rabbit hop for a walk. He does know how to use the little box (both for bowel and urinary functions) but he does leak on occasion. I've seen him drink plenty, but he has only taken a few bites of food thus far. He doesn't appear to be suffering or even realize that he is "disabled", and is very energetic and playful. Oh, he is also a HUGE people person... he slept with my 4.5 year old daughter all night and has pawed at me meowing to be picked up a few times... lol! SO, any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! I'm a cat lover, but this is a first for me!

Hi Thumper1 I also have a manx. She is 9 today. Bootsie has a slight bend in her spine which she was born with. She either walks dragging one of her back legs a little or hops like a rabbit. She has a little cream puff of a tail which makes her appear even more rabbit-like. I used to wonder if her spinal deformation would give her problems with arthritis or some joint issues when she would be old but she seems about the same now as when she was just 1 year old. It doesn't bother her but she can't jump quite as high as my other cat Monty who is not a manx. Her balance is somewhat less good than his though it's not terrible. Anyways I keep her away from things she could fall off of and injure herself.

Bootsie is a sensitive cat. She is litter trained but if something disturbs her she might decide to pee somewhere else (somewhere soft) or not eat as much. She is currently stressed because I have started leaving the windows cracked open (I don't have AC) and she can hear the cars and people outside. Every time she hears something she pauses from her eating and sometimes walks away from the bowl. She will try to eat a little again in a slightly different location in about a half hour or so, and then a bit more in another half hour to an hour. In this way I gradually get her to eat everything in her bowl. This is time-consuming of course but with time she gets used to the new noises or whatever and goes back to devouring the whole serving all in one go. Anyways, perhaps the same would work for Thumper. As for the other cats, they might start to like him after some time. Monty adores Bootsie, though sometimes she gets annoyed with him, when she's not trying to share his bed!

Thank you for your reply. Thumper has been with us for two days now and I have started to notice some improvement in his eating. I bought a special food today for "optimal digestion". It is the Earth Born Holistic, Feline Vantage. I'm hoping that it will help him maintain good bowel and urinary tract maintenance. He went poopy in his little box twice today, and had one accident when I was cleaning his rump for the morning. Oh well, crap truly does happen!!! In the mean time, we're making progress with the other cats. They'll at least all sleep on my bed without it turning into a hissing and growling fest. LOL! I'm good with baby steps. =)