Darn it! I have been sew silly

This curious kitten had a lucky escape when she accidentally pounced on a darning needle.

This amazing X-ray revealed the two and a half inch needle lodged in seven-month-old Marley’s neck.

Her owner, Thomas Ward, first realised something was wrong when Marley started acting out of sorts.

He says: “We noticed Marley was much quieter than usual and then she started coughing.

“I could feel something poking out of the side of her neck, pushing against her skin but I had no idea what it was. At first I thought it might be a bone.”

Thomas’s local vet advised him to bring her to The Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, London.

X-rays revealed the darning needle had pierced through the roof of Marley’s mouth right through the back of her neck.

It narrowly missed her jugular vein and windpipe and staff quickly operated to carefully pull the needle out.

Marley has now recovered from her ordeal and Thomas says she’s back to her usual cheeky self.

He says: “We were very surprised when we saw how big the needle was and we have no idea where she got it from.

“The main thing is that she’s doing fine and she’s totally back to normal now.”

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.

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 at their level to check for any hazards.”