Hungry cat hooked by unwanted fishy tale

Five-year-old Teleigha required life-saving surgery after swallowing a fish hook which became embedded in her stomach.

Thankfully vets at the PDSA hospital on Hawes Side Lane in Blackpool came to her rescue.

Teleigha’s owner Linzi Maddocks, 46, said: “My son was packing his fishing gear while Teleigha was on the sofa.

“She seemed uninterested. But suddenly she jumped down, grabbed the hook in her mouth and swallowed it.

“It didn’t even have any bait on it, but I think the shiny silver attracted her.”

PDSA senior vet Jen Jackson said: “Teleigha seemed fine when she arrived, but an x-ray showed the fish hook in her stomach.

“Although tiny, if left it could easily have pierced her intestines or damaged a major blood vessel, which could have been fatal. It’s just as well the family saw what happened and brought her in.”

Linzi added: “Teleigha was very glad to return home and she made a really quick recovery. PDSA have been brilliant.

“They’ve helped me over the last eight years after I was made redundant following health issues.”

Linzi, who already hides her jewellery from Teleigha, is now careful to keep her son’s fishing equipment well out of reach too.

To support PDSA visit www.pdsa.org.uk.