A kitten was millimetres from death after impaling himself on a huge metal plant holder.
One of the rusty legs went into nine-month-old Biscuit – but amazingly missed all his vital organs.
Owner Catherine Allen, from Bristol, who rushed Biscuit to Zetland Vets (part of the My Family Vets network), says it’s a miracle her beloved cat survived.
Even head veterinary surgeon vet, Lexy Hughes, describes it was a ‘once in a career case’.
She praised Catherine’s 16-year-old daughter, Isabelle, who cradled the pet in her arms as the team tried to remove the metal.
Catherine heard a crashing noise outside the family home, so went to look at what had happened and found Biscuit hiding under her car.
‘The big plant holder was in front of him, and I thought he just couldn’t get out because of it,’ said Catherine. ‘But when I looked, I saw one of the legs had gone through his body.
‘I think he’d maybe fallen on it in another garden somewhere and he’d dragged himself back home along with it. It was really horrible, just so graphic.
‘He somehow got himself out and under a bush and I thought I’d lost him.
‘I couldn’t get him and the plant holder out, so I shouted Isabelle to come and help me. Biscuit was obviously in shock and Isabelle took hold of both him and the plant holder, which was so big I could barely get it into the car.’
It was then that Biscuit was taken straight to the vet – but Catherine says the short trip there felt like ‘the longest in the world.’
Once the family arrived, the vet team faced some tough decisions.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this in my 15 years as a vet,’ said Lexy.
‘My first thought was to cut the stand, but it was way too thick so I ran to nearby premises, including a dentist, to see if they had anything I could use.
‘They didn’t, so we had to try and sedate Biscuit to remove it as he’d panicked and twisted his skin around the metal three times. We got him on the table and Isabelle did a great job of helping.
‘She was so calm, holding him so he didn’t do any more damage until we could get him anaesthetised and be ready to operate.
‘He was incredibly lucky. The metal was millimetres from his heart and lungs and if it had pierced them there would have been no way he’d have made it to us alive.’
The surgical team had to cut away the skin around the metal to remove it, then cleaned the whole area to minimise the risk of further problems, such as infection.
Catherine and Isabelle were able to collect Biscuit later the same day and take him home.
‘Isabelle adores Biscuit and she slept with him every night until he started to recover,’ said Catherine.
‘She was amazingly calm all the way through, and I don’t know what I’d have done without her.
‘Biscuit had stitches from the top to the bottom of his little body, but he started to be more like his happy old self in about a week.
‘Everyone at the vets was so nice and reassuring and we really do feel it’s a miracle.’
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