PDSA saves kitten from Christmas dinner emergency
It took five hours of surgery to remove the netting.
The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) has issued a warning this Christmas after a cat’s near-death experience with a Christmas dinner last year.
Bear, a six-month-old kitten, became seriously ill after eating the netting from a joint of roast beef on Boxing Day last year.
When Bear first became ill, his owner, Joshua Simpson, suspected he had just become unwell. However, when he was refusing to eat, his condition worsened.
He was taken to a local veterinary practice, where he was given anti-sickness medicine and fluids to prevent dehydration. With no improvement, it was clear that further investigation was needed.
Since Mr Simpson was between jobs during Bear’s emergency, he was referred to Middlesbrough PDSA Pet Hospital for free veterinary care.
Bear was found to be dehydrated and suffering from stomach pains. The veterinary team monitored him overnight, before X-raying him under sedation.
An obstruction was identified in his intestines and it was clear that he required emergency surgery.
The netting had become a linear foreign body, with one end of the netting in his stomach and the rest unravelled through to his large intestine. This had caused his intestines to ‘concertina’ together, damaging and blocking the soft tissue of the intestines.
In an operation lasting nearly five hours, the veterinary surgeon was able to remove all of the netting. Two inches of Bear’s intestines were too damaged to be repaired and also had to be removed.
Due to the risk of peritonitis, it was still not clear that he would pull through.
Thankfully, after monitoring overnight, Bear was given the all clear to go home. PDSA followed up the surgery with regular phone checks and follow up appointments to assess recovery.
Gabrielle Fish, the PDSA veterinary surgeon who cared for Bear, said: “So many pets are the shining star in our lives, giving us unconditional love and helping us through the most difficult times.
“Seeing the relief and joy when we reunite a recovered pet with their owner is one of the best parts of our job. But we rely on generous public support to keep our doors open, as we don’t receive any government funding.”
Image © PDSA
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
