The following comes from my foster mom Karen who is bottle feeding 9 at this time for us. I haven’t seen Surro-Kitty in action and it sounds like it needs to be beta tested on a more extensive basis to get the bugs out.
At any rate, here are Karen’s thoughts on the subject:
So… SURRO-KITTY!
This product is going to be a hit with larger rescues who take in a lot of teenie beenies. My four older ones had no interest at all – probably because they have lost the “rooting” stage. The four I have that are a week old show interest and have used it. However…
There are some procedural issues and some design flaws:
Procedural issues:
It is time consuming to set it up – fill the bottles, heat the bottles, pre-heat the pad. large surface to place it and be able to work with it (it needs a place big enough to set up permanently)
Then afterward: disassembling, cleaning bottles, cleaning fur (problematic), drying fur, etc.
By the time all the clean up is done it is almost time to start setting up for the next 2 to 2-1/2 hour feeding (no sleep allowed)
Design issues:
They put fake legs and tail on it but no head. Just leave the legs and tail off – not needed. It kind of freaks the older cats out when it is just laying on the table with no head.
The velcro on the bottles does not hold if you don’t get it attached just perfect.
The bottle nipples are all cut differently (ok really) but difficult if kittens are used to using the same nipple cut all the time. (a couple of the nipples are not cut)
Turning the Surro-Kitty on its side to feed (to get milk to flow through the nipple is problematic if the nipples leak a bit. Messy. It also has to be propped up to keep it from rolling and disturbing the kittens as they find their way with it.
Constant supervision for the babies to keep them near and at the nipples to feed. (takes at least 20 to 30 minutes to get them fully fed instead of the 10 to 15 by hand.
Suggestions:
Is it machine washable? – possibly put a removable/replaceable cover over the base unit to save wear and tear on the complete unit.
Use vacuum bags (like platex baby bottles) for the milk so it can be sucked up at any angle.
Leave off the appendages – not useful and get in the way
Use snaps instead of velcro for the closing. No worries about keeping fur out of velcro, or making sure it is exactly placed (especially when you have screaming kittens)
Offer a selection of types of nipples – long, short, round, pointy, etc
add a feature to keep it from tipping/rolling
That’s pretty much what I have come up with so far. I believe it is going to be a hit once it is thoroughly beta tested and openly marketed. Especially for facilities like PAWS in Sherwood.
Karen’s review was wonderful. Thorough, clear, precise, directed and including no subjects outside of the one under consideration. I have read hundreds of professional reviews that were nowhere near this good. Great job !!!
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that is a great review, hope it gets to the company and they can get the corrections made to it, but it is an awesome idea.
I sent it to the company and got a return email that they would take all that was noted “under advisement.”
I have to say, I have worked with an awful lot of bottle feeders in the past and Karen is golden. I knew her review would be honest and fair and justified because she is the one test-driving the contraption for now.
Hi Karen! Was really glad to read your review; I also bought a Surro-Kitty to test. I specialize in bottle babies (150+ annually) and teach orphan kitten care through National Kitten Coalition. So far you review is pretty much word for word what I have experienced and begun to write, though my “older” (three weeks) kittens did take to it well. For me personally, it is far too time consuming and the sanitation issue really concerns me. Presently I have 21 orphans ranging in age from 24 hours to 4 weeks and it would take me twice as long to set up Surro-Kitty’s to feed them (assuming I could afford 8 of them, one for each litter) as opposed to bottle feeding each of them. And much longer if I had to use just one or two Surros and disinfect, change nipples in between. I was sincerely hoping it would be useful for shelters for interim care while searching for foster homes, but the time issue is going to be critical for them. PS: TOTALLY agree on leaving off the legs and tail. In fact, I was thinking that it would be practical just to purchase the bottle “unit” then use fake fur or fleece with eight holes properly placed to wrap it in…would also help mitigate the sanitation issue for use between litters. Again, thanks for a great review…will be sending folks here to read as well as posting my own review.
1. ) The Surro-Kitty is 100% machine-washable. Refer to the laundry care tag stitched on the inside of the device.
2.) The Surro-Kitty involves no set-up, other than filling the bottles and inserting them into the pouches. The Surro-Kitty arrives with the heating pad inserted — just plug it in an outlet.
3.) The arms and legs are there to add stability to the device and to prevent it from rolling forward. It may be necessary to position the device against a wall or other sturdy object to prevent it from rolling backward, especially if there are 3 or more kittens nursing from it at once.
4.) All of the nipples are tested for leaks before being shipped out. If you receive a bottle with an uncut or leaky nipple, please return it to is for a replacement.
5.) The bottles are securely positioned in the pouch with elastic bands, not velcro. The removable Kitty Cover provides an additional layer of security. When used properly, the bottles should not move.
6.) If you believe you have received a defective device, please contact us.
with 20 bottle babies I need this
Honestly, it creates more problems than it solves.
I’m using Miracle Nipples with mine (regular size). About 5 drops of formula will drip out and then it STOPS dripping. Fill the bottles, put them in the device and then turn them over a sink – hopefully the nipples that came with the SurroKitty will do the same. If not, get some Miracle Nipples.
Our rescue purchased one, and with so many bottle babies we had high hopes. But the poor quality of the construction, and the “headache” of use, we do not use it. Now that the price has doubled, it is really amazing that anyone would buy this item. Besides, when you hand bottle feed a kitten you are also socializing the kitten. That does not happen with this product. And, another problem I see here is the product had “stung” my eyes when it first came. I am not sure what it was, but this happens to me when fabrics are not washed prior to use, which leads me to a big concern about the toxicity of this product to the kittens.
Carole, I do agree that the product is not productive in any manner. I was hoping like you that it would deliver as promised. I gave ours to the local shelter and they shared the same view after some fosters tried to use it. Much better (although a lot more work) to bottle feed each kitten individually rather than fight with this “easier way” to handle bottle babies. I was unaware that they upped the price!