Saving Cornelius

Meet Cornelius - one tough little kitten who is surviving despite the odds and stealing our hearts in the process.

Updates

JANUARY 11, 2024 UPDATE – Cornelius has come through his cleft repair surgery with flying colours!! He is still on the mend, of course, but Dr. Pegg says she was pleased with how the repair went. There may be additional procedures to come, but with his heart defect, this was the one we were really worried about.

DECEMBER UPDATE – While getting treatment for a bout of pneumonia, we discovered Cornelius had a heart murmur. After several tests, we now know its more than a murmur – its a heart defect, one that increases his risks of not recovering from sedation and surgery. Because Cornelius has never been able to eat normally and has always had to be tube fed, he has developed a condition called pica, an eating disorder which means he eats things not usually considered food. In his case, nothing is safe, including fabric and clothing. It’s a dangerous condition and sadly, it means we can’t really let him roam free around his foster home anymore. That’s a loss for Cornelius, one that has made it clear that for his own quality of life, we need to pursue a surgical fix for his cleft palate despite his heart defect, so that he can begin to eat normally, be adopted and regain his freedom to explore his surroundings. Luckily, we did receive some good news – we have found an animal dental specialist in the GTA who is willing to attempt his cleft repair, despite his heart defect. This will involve multiple procedures/surgeries, which will start in the new year.

His Story

Cornelius was born three months ago in our care at Humane Society Hastings Prince Edward (formerly Quinte Humane Society).

Our dedicated team noticed he was having trouble latching onto his mother for milk, and we soon realized why. This lovely little thing was born with a cleft palate - an opening, in his case large, between the top of his mouth and his nasal cavity.

This condition is often fatal for kittens because they can’t latch onto their mother, and human intervention is the only way to save their life. Mammals born with a cleft palate risk aspiration at every feed. Milk and fluids can be misdirected to the nasal cavity, and if breathed in, the fluid enters the lungs causing pneumonia and often death.

Because of this, and the severity of Cornelius' cleft, we were told his odds of survival were slim.

A helping hand

Kaitlin, one of our longtime animal care attendants, had been there since his birth and was not going to lose Cornelius without a fight.

She began to feed him, every two hours at first, by inserting a tube down his esophagus and into his stomach. She did this day and night, volunteering to bring him home every evening and back to work every morning. Her sleep patterns were sporadic and interrupted but that didn’t matter, because he is worth it!

And he has done amazingly well so far. He is full of energy and loves to play with other cats, toys and really anything that moves is fair game. He has some sniffles and sneezes, but so far Kaitlin's care and feeding is working.

The bottom line for Cornelius is this - without surgeries, Cornelius will never be able to eat normally and will always be at risk for lung infections. Right now, the burden of caring for him, preparing his food and feeding him is huge and constant.

Without surgery, Cornelius will not be adoptable and will not have a chance at a normal life. despite his fighting spirit.

How you can help

We need to raise money to pay for the surgery or surgeries and related exams and tests.

Your support will help Cornelius receive the medical support and surgeries he desperately needs.

We have supporters and staff willing to donate their time to drive Cornelius to exams and surgery. We have staff willing to volunteer their time to continue to care for him post-op.

Funds raised by this campaign will be used to pay for these needed exams and surgery(ies). Any funds raised in addition to Cornelius' needs will be used to support other special animals in need at Humane Society Hastings Prince Edward.