Cat eyelids from sheep stomach procedure may be world first

A New Zealand vet is undertaking a revolutionary surgery this week - using sheep stomach lining to make artificial eyelids for a cat. The operation will be trialled on Cammy, a one-year-old cat with eyelid agenesis, a common defect that stops animals' eyelids from forming.

Lower Hutt's Pet Vet will complete the $1400 operation for free. Before the surgery Cammy's eyes were extremely sore and may have had to be removed. Store owner and veterinarian Gary Cullen worked on Cammy's left eye in November and will complete the surgery on the right eye this week. He said the two-hour operation was a world first.



"I just had an inspiration. As soon as we started the operation it all felt right. This is such phenomenal material, the eye will be pretty much normal once it is properly healed."

The stomach lining from the sheep promotes healing by grafting with the cat's skin and working with the feline's biology. It supports the growth of cells and is eventually replaced by natural tissue. Once the operation is successful, Pet Vet plans on publishing the new surgery for veterinarians worldwide.