A mischievous moggy has used up one of his nine lives after needing life-saving surgery to remove a foot-long piece of string.
Lucky black cat Luther underwent an operation at Westway Vets in Newcastle, to remove the string from his stomach and intestines.
Unknown to his owners, the much-loved family pet had eaten the string from round the scratching post on his favourite cat tree at their home in Seaham.
When he became unwell and started vomiting, his concerned owner took him to the emergency out-of-hours service at Westway Vets’ main hospital in West Road, Newcastle, which is part of UK veterinary group VetPartners.
Luther underwent an ultrasound scan which detected a foreign body that was causing a serious obstruction in his stomach and intestine, and vet Lucie McKenzie had to operate immediately as there was no other way to remove the string.
If the string had not been removed, Luther would almost certainly have died as a foreign body can cause perforated intestines.
Westway Vets is now warning owners to seek veterinary advice if they suspect their pet has eaten something it shouldn’t. Over the years, the veterinary team at the practice has treated cats and dogs that have swallowed a huge array of foreign bodies, including golf balls, hair ties, shoelaces and toys.
Lucie, who performed the delicate surgery on Luther, said: “It’s always a worry what cats find tempting to eat as it can be very dangerous when they swallow a foreign body. You have to be very cautious when removing anything from their stomach and intestines.
“Fortunately, Luther’s owners responded very quickly when he became unwell, and we were able to quickly investigate to see what was causing the problem. It was a very long piece of string that had gone through his intestine and caused an obstruction.”
Luther, a long-haired, four-year-old moggy, is much adored by owner Angela Dunn and her partner Brian Collins. The couple were on holiday in Mexico when they were contacted by her son Ryan to say they were worried as Luther wasn’t his usual playful self and had been vomiting.
Ryan rushed Luther to Westway Vets and the family was stunned when they saw photos of the length of string retrieved from their pet.
Angela said: “We couldn’t believe how long the piece of string was and realised immediately it was from his scratching post on his cat tower. We’ve got rid of scratching posts and cat towers with string and have bought cardboard ones which he likes just as much.
“It was such a worry for us as we were in Mexico, and we were unable to get an early flight home. I can’t praise Westway Vets highly enough for realising there was something serious wrong and for the care they gave him during his time at the hospital.
“Luther is such a friendly, sociable cat and fortunately he is back to full health and playing again.”
