Catac Foster Feeding Bottle Kit

I was thrilled with the design, but the directions on how to use the bottle were unclear.Which end did the nipple go on and how to stretch the nipple without breaking it.

I raise kittens for our local humane society, and I am always looking for products which will help these tiny mites survive. One of the biggest challenges is convincing tiny kittens to nurse from a bottle. I've now raised three litters using these bottles, and the kittens really seem to accept it more easily than other small animal nursing bottle I have used.In the plus column, the bottles are tempered glass. They are easy to get sparkling clean, using the included bottle brush, and (providing that one does not drop the bottle), the product seems very durable. The kittens accept the shape of the nipple fairly readily. It is easy to add formula from the top of the bottle, so I usually use the same bottle for the entire litter,keeping formula warm, and adding additional formula between kittens. Flow is controlled by putting a thumb over the top of the bottle to create a vacuum. It took me a while to get the knack, but once the skill is learned, it works pretty well.Now, the negatives. First, the nursers are expensive--more than four times the cost of plastic bottles. Second, they are made in Britain, so shipping is expensive, and the kit comes with minimal instructions. I'm American. I'm used to detailed information and diagrams. I couldn't figure out how to attach the nipple to the bottle (the instructions said something like cut to desired size--what does that mean?). I finally figured out that the large end of the nipple had to be cut off, and then the cut end stretched over an enlarged bulb at the base of the bottle. Maybe that would be obvious to most folks--it wasn't to me. There were no meaningful instructions as to how large to make the hole in the end of the nipple, and I burned through two of the three included nipples before I finally got one right. The company's website advertised an optional valve to control flow which turned out to be a latex cap which fits over the top of the bottle. I was going to order a valve until I figured out that what I thought was a latex cap was what Catac means when it refers to a valve. I have to admit that if you press on the cap, it forces formula out the hole in the nipple.Another negative--if you drop the bottle in the sink, it will break. It didn't shatter, just broke in two pieces.Nevertheless, I just ordered two more kits so that I have backups in case I drop another bottle. Nothing is more frustrating to me than struggling to induce a hungry kitten nuzzling for food to accept a nipple and watching them simply waste away. I've tried syringes and eyedroppers, but there is always a danger the kitten will aspirate the formula and develop pneumonia.If you live in the U. S. and you have just found an orphan kitten, this product is likely not an option for you because it will take too long to receive it, and for one kitten, the cost may be prohibitive. However, if, like me, you foster more than one litter during the year, then I think it is worth it. I hate to lose one, and I do think that this product increases the chance of survival.

I foster kittens (50+ a year), and I had heard great things about the Catac nursing bottle, so I ordered one. However, the bottle comes with poor (almost no) instructions, and it is a bit tricky to use. Since it is actually much superior to the typical nursing bottle, I thought that I'd help others by creating some instructions myself. It really works--in part because its soft, tiny nipples are much more readily accepted by baby animals! I would NEVER go back to usual nursing bottle.1. Be sure to buy the rubber cap in addition to the foster feeding bottle kit, which contain a glass bottle, a cleaning brush, and 3 small teats.2. When you get your bottle kit and rubber cap, take one of the teats and--without cutting it--fit the rolled end onto the small end of the bottle. Just push the rolled rubber of the teat down onto the glass tip. You will probably find this hard to do the first time, so be patient. If you are feeling frustrated, let me tell you that I used to have to sit down with a soothing drink and soothing music before starting this maneuver. Now, I do it in a second. So, the skill can be mastered!3. Take a pair of nail scissors, sewing scissors or other non-blunt scissors and cut off the very tip of the teat. You are aiming to cut off 1 millimeter, no more! If you look at a tip, you will see that the very end is almost white in color, as though the molding process strained the rubber. You goal is to cut off that teeny, tiny white bit and only that. You should end up with a hole at the end that is as big as the diameter of the sharp bit of a medium-to-large safety pin.4. Holding the bottle erect, fill it with a kitten milk replacer or other species-appropriate milk replacer. I recommend KMR, but most reputable pet supply companies produce fine ones. No lumps please if you are mixing it from powder!5. Fit the rubber cap, which looks like a bell, over the large diameter end of the glass bottle. This may also be a tad frustrating the first time, but it gets very easy quickly. Once the rubber cap is on, it creates a vacuum and the milk will not run out of the bottle even if you turn it upside down.6. Warm up your bottle in a cup of hot water. Do NOT microwave it. Try the temperature for yourself by holding the bottle above your mouth and squirting a tiny amount onto your tongue by pressing the end of the rubber cap a bit. If the liquid is hot, let it cool down. If it is cold, warm it in a cup of hot water again. Your goal is something that feels like same temperature as your own tongue.7. Hold the baby animal in a fairly natural feeding position--the best you can manage given that you are not its mother--put the cut end of the teat in the baby's mouth. (I will just say "kitten" from here on, for convenience.) I usually put a clean towel in my lap and have the kitten crouching on one of my legs with his back legs lower than his front legs. This imitates how a kitten crouches when it nurses.8. Before you put the teat in the kitten's mouth, tip it up so that there is no air bubble at the teat end. Then fill the teat with milk by pressing the rubber cap just a bit. You can guarantee that this is done with your preliminary taste test since it should fill the teat with milk! Your goal is to have NO AIR BUBBLES in or near the teat.9. Put the teat into the kitten's mouth. If it does not begin sucking on its own immediately, press very gently on the rubber cap to put a drop or two into the kitten's mouth. Unless the kitten is sick, it will probably begin sucking or at least chewing (in an effort to get the milk to flow) right away. You should find that, if you've done everything right, the sucking follows naturally with no fight. A kitten who is sucking well wiggles its ears and often its tail as well!10. Your problem now is to avoid an air lock developing. You may notice that the rubber cap deflates as the kitten sucks. This is fine so far as it goes but the cap will completely deflate before all but the youngest kittens finish. Therefore, at intervals, you must very gently pull the bottle away from the kitten--not pulling the teat out of the kitten's mouth but pulling it enough to make the kitten break the air lock. This will let the air bubbles ascend and will break any air lock. If you do not let the air bubbles ascend, your kitten will end up sucking hard and getting no new milk after a while.11. Kittens suck voraciously at first and then slow down. When a kitten turns its head away or releases the teat, it is probably done so you should stop feeding. (Make sure that it does not stop simply because you've made it face an air lock.)12. Clean the bottle by rinsing it under very hot water thoroughly and pushing the bottle brush up and down a couple of times. I put each bottle (with attached teat) in hot water in my 1000-watt microwave once a day for 2 minutes, but this is not essential. The main thing is to keep the bottle clean in some way. Good luck!

This bottle is the absolute best. It does require some getting used to, but kittens take to it easily.To control flow you can use the rubber 'cap' thing, or simply place your thumb over the open end of the bottle. the bottle fits in your fist perfectly so your thumb may control the flow. You can feel the negative pressure oulling on your thumb as kitten nurses and you simply lift your thumb to release the pressure to keep the flow going.It is a very intuitive bottle. Nipple goes on o e end, thumb/cap on the other. Being glass it goes from a hot water bath (warming formula) to cold water w/o breaking. The nipples are perfect in replicating a queen's anatomy. I also find that keyto getting a kitten to latch is formula temperature, too cool and they won't nurse.Anyway, I have always struggledgetting kittens to latch onto the standard US PetAg bottle with its rounded, stubby nipple. I have always had kittens latch in less that 15 mins with the Catac bottle!!This bottle may look weird, but it is worth ten times its weight in gold when you are raising orphaned kittens. It really is the best bottle out there. The most difficult part, as with any pet nurser, is making that hole in the nipple tip!