A ONE-YEAR-OLD cat had a brush with death after swallowing more than 50 hair bands.
Pixel’s owners took her to Eastgate Veterinary Group’s practice in Bury St Edmunds after she fell ill one evening.
A veterinary examination revealed Pixel had a sizeable obstruction in her stomach.
During surgery, vets were surprised to find a large ball of hair bobbles inside her stomach, which was causing the blockage in her stomach.
Pixel’s owner, Blossom Fox, said the hair accessories belonged to her and her two daughters, three-year-old Felicity and one-year-old Bonnie.
Blossom, who is married to Dean with the family living in Foulden, Norfolk, said: “Pixel would always come up to see us before we went to bed and we noticed she seemed solemn one evening.
“She started to vomit a little, so we took her out of the room. However, in the morning she wasn’t well at all, so we had to rush her to the vets.
“We couldn’t believe it when the vets told us they had removed 50 hair bands from her stomach.
“We have seen her with the bands before but assumed she left them once she’d finished playing with then as we’d often discover them under the sofa or fridge.”
Pixel was given medication and released for the hospital. She has since made a full recovery.
Blossom added: “Now we are very careful with the children’s hair bands and make sure they aren’t left around for Pixel to get hold of.
“We are so grateful to the Eastgate team for caring for Pixel as she’s a big part of our family and the children love having her around.”
Veterinary surgeon at Eastgate Vets, Hannah Pinnock, said: “We see all sorts of cases of pets eating things they shouldn’t, but it’s very unusual for a cat to swallow this number of foreign bodies.
“This is a case of pica, where cats are attracted to eating objects that are not food.
“If you have a cat in the household it is worthwhile to keep items like ribbons, shoelaces or hair bands out of the way.”
Eastgate Vets advise that if you suspect your pet has eaten something that they shouldn’t then to take them to your vets.
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