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Well, I’ll be Darned!
Marley the cat.
A curious cat had a lucky escape when she accidentally pounced on a two and a half inch darning needle. 

Seven-month-old kitten, Marley, was taken to The Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria when her concerned owners noticed she was coughing and felt something protruding from under the skin in her neck.

Blue Cross veterinary staff carried out x-rays to pin point the problem and were amazed to discover the long needle, which had pierced through the roof of the kitten’s mouth right through the back of her neck, narrowly missing her jugular vein and windpipe. Staff quickly operated to carefully pull out the needle under anaesthetic and Marley has now made a full recovery.

An x-ray showing the location of the needle.
Blue Cross vet, Julia Smith, who carried out the operation, said: “You can see on the x-ray that the needle had travelled right through the neck muscle, so she must have pounced on the needle with some force. The needle was close to her spine so she’s very lucky to have escaped without any permanent damage."

Marley’s owner, Thomas Ward, said: “We were very surprised to see how big the needle was and we have no idea where she got it from. We’re so pleased that she’s doing fine now and she's back to her cheeky self."

Julia added: “Occasionally we see cases where cats have swallowed thread attached to needles, but not where a kitten has impaled itself with such a large needle in this way. Kittens can easily get themselves into mischief because they are naturally inquisitive and love to pounce on objects, so it’s always worth scouring your home to check for any hazards."

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Voting opens for BEVA Council

News Story 1
 Eligible members of BEVA will be able to vote for their Council team until Monday, 17 August 2026. Members will have received an election email on 17 July.

There are five candidates standing for four available places on Council. They are:

  • Alexandre Triguino
  • Angela Jones
  • Beth Bryant
  • Holly Rees
  • Hugh Somerville
Full profiles for each candidate can be found on the BEVA website

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Milk recalled over presence of veterinary medicines

Graham's Family Dairy has issued a recall for its semi-skimmed milk due to the presence of veterinary medicines in the product.

In a risk statement, the Food Standards Agency said the presence of the medicines, including penicillin, make the milk unsafe to consume and 'may be a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to antibiotics'.

Customers who bought the product are advised to return it to the store of purchase for a full refund.