Cleo learns to eat

After the operation Cleo had to learn to eat like a normal cat. The plan was to continue tube feeding for 30 days post operation. But once the cleft was closed, the new palate placed downward pressure on the catheter. This caused Cleo to gag during feeding and after Two weeks she had enough. The fight to get the tube in her was too much and we had to start mouth feeding her early. We started with a 60 CC syringe loaded with Hills A/D and a 1" section of surgical tubing to protect her mouth during feeding. At first we had to force her to eat but she quickly caught on to the feeding process. Gradually we transitioned her to eating from a spoon and are now teaching her to eat from a plate

Cleo shows how to eat from a syringe

cleo eats from a plate

The Big day! Cleo eats from a plate

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