'Baby Kitten Rescue' is an animal rescue that focuses on neonatal, critical care, and special needs kitten rescue.
Otter is a part of a litter with severe congenital issues, including- Hydrocephalus, which means he has excess fluid surrounding his brain, and has a meningocele, the protrusion at the top of his head, which is filled with cerebrospinal fluid. A meningoencephalocele would mean that the protrusion contains cerebrospinal fluid and brain material.
The goal is to create a helmet-like head piece that is low cost, lightweight, using commonly accessible materials that can be quickly removed, cleaned, and fit with Otter's growing head.
Otter had his surgery to close the hole in his skull in Dec 2022; his recovery went extremely well and has been back to being an incredible kitten - he'll have the opportunity to grow up to be a healthy loving creature!
As it turns out, ordering some 3" (actuallly 3.17") diameter cupcake holders worked out really well! They were inexpensive, quick, and easy to cut. Also, There was a decision to add venting holes for Otter's condition. Cutting it from the button to top seemed to prodcue the best results.
The edges need to be cleaned up a bit... it seemed the the bulb tip actually worked better than the razor blade tip... E6000 glue works incredibly quickly when setting the two materials together...
We wanted to utilize a Quick Release Cat Collar clip into the design... ultimately I ended up purchasing some quick release collars, cannibalized the clips and went with a simple loop with the velcro straps... To remove the clips I used a razor blade attachment on the wood burning tool (I got the blade tip from Michaels)
i just love that photo of him sticking out of his crate , he looks like some weird highly advanced space creature that crash landed his escape pod, he's got this, "did you just see that shit!" face, adorable !
i just love that photo of him sticking out of his crate , he looks like some weird highly advanced space creature that crash landed his escape pod, he's got this, "did you just see that shit!" face, adorable !