another kitten with a problem.....

Question
Hello again....
I had inquired about the bleeding umbilical cord on my 4 week old kitten "Monkey" over the weekend
I wanted to let you know that he is doing just wonderful after a quick visit to the vets and a little antibiotic cream... but just this morning, as I was watching all four baby kitties happily playing with their over-abundance of kitten toys...I noticed that "Leo's" right front paw was turned in quite a bit. He looks pigeon-toed... It does not seem to cause him any discomfort or slow him down in any way, but as I am bottle feeding them, I worry about their nutitional needs. All four kittens have been fed the same diet (KMR formula, just starting canned/dry kitten food) and the other three are perfectly normal. "Leo" was the runt of the litter and still remains the tiniest of the bunch, though his appetite has always been fine.
I was hoping that perhaps you could share some insight as to what may be going on with him...
With any luck, I may be able to avoid another trip to the vets for at least a little while as the treatments for "Lucie" (the momma cat) and "Monkey" have set me back over $750.00 this past month....not they are not worth every penny...
thanks so much....
teresa  

Answer
Hi Teresa!  I am so happy to hear that Monkey is doing great!
Now, about Leo.  I don't think that this is anything to be extremely concerned about, unless he begins to show that this foot is painful.  This could just be a joint defect, like patella(hind leg) or elbow(front leg) luxation.  My dog has both patella and elbow luxation.  What happens is, the joint slides easily and most of the time painlessly in socket and out of socket.  This would cause the foot to turn either in or out.  For large dogs, surgery is a must to correct, but for lighter dogs and cats, it's usually just left go unless the pet becomes painful from it, or it begins to cause other problems.  Your veterinarian would be able to put Leo's joint back into the socket, and it may eliminate the problem from ever occuring again, because his skeletal system is still soft and immature, and the socket and joint would end up growing together nicely.
I hope this helps!
Hilary