Kitten cheats death after eating needle

Peach the mischievous six month old short-haired white cat got more than she bargained for when she decided to play with a piece of thread while the needle was still attached.

Her owner, Natalie Warburton, 24, from Warbreck, said: “I heard her let out the most horrific scream.

“I was in full panic mode.”

She rushed Peach to the Vets4Pets animal surgery at Holyoake Avenue in Bispham, where an X-ray revealed a sewing needle lodged inside the tiny kitten’s throat.

“When I saw the X-rays I just felt sick,” she said. “I don’t have any children. My cats are like my babies. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

Animal surgeons at the practice managed to remove the needle by pushing the blunt end down into the mouth and slowly easing the sharp end out.

Vets4Pets senior vet Caroline Ross, who has worked with animals for more than 20 years, said that Peach had a lucky escape.

She said: “It’s a good thing her owner noticed the thread coming out of her mouth and brought her in straight away.

“The throat is a delicate area. There are a lot of important blood vessels in the neck. It could have easily pierced an artery.

“If we hadn’t removed the needle the cat would have died.”

Veterinary nurse Stacey Pannett, 24, who helped operate on Peach, added: “The needle had pierced the roof of her mouth. If it had gone up at the wrong angle it could have easily gone into her eyes and caused permanent damage.”

Beautician Natalie fell in love with rescue cat Peach six weeks ago after seeing a picture of her on the UK advertising website Gumtree.

Like many kittens, Peach loves to test her claws on old pieces of cloth and string.

Now Natalie is warning others about the dangers everyday objects can pose to pets.

She said: “It’s unbelievable how close Peach came to being seriously hurt from something so small in just a split second.

“People assume that because it’s a sharp object a kitten won’t try to eat it, but they just might.”

Accidentally ingesting a sharp object can be lethal to both cats and dogs, with sewing needles and abandoned fishing hooks being some of the most common offenders.

Natalie said the experience luckily had not cost Peach one of her nine lives. “I just don’t know how she survived it,” she said. “I just can’t thank the vets enough.”