Reconstruction of a bilateral hypoplastic soft palate in a cat

A 2-year-old, female spayed, domestic shorthair cat was presented with a history of dyspnea, upper respiratory congestion, and aspiration. Physical examination revealed a bilaterally hypoplastic soft palate resembling a uvula. A novel surgical technique was performed to reconstruct the soft palate, utilizing both a hard palate-derived mucoperiosteal flap combined with two pharyngeal wall-derived, random-pattern mucosal flaps. This is the first report of a bilaterally hypoplastic soft palate in the cat, as well as a description of a new surgical method for soft palate reconstruction.