Mia-ouch! Blue Cross treats cat after sewing needle gets stuck in mouth

Our Blue Cross Hammersmith animal hospital team treated a cat after she’d eaten a piece of sewing thread and were shocked to find the needle still attached and embedded through the roof of her mouth. 

Two-year-old Bella the cat was rushed into the hospital after her owner realised the piece of string was stuck, but had no idea just how close his beloved pet was to catastrophic injury.

Veterinary Nurse Francesca Mingotto said, “Bella is certainly one lucky cat. The fact that the needle got lodged in her palate rather than

being swallowed could have saved her life. Her owner was lucky to have spotted her taking the thread and his quick actions to call us straight away meant no more damage was made. It could have been a very different story.”

Cats typically love playing with dangly threads and ribbons, which can be dangerous. Blue Cross advises pet owners and visiting friends and family members to be extra vigilant when doing craft-work and sewing, because a piece of string is so very tempting to our felines.

In addition to needle dangers, thread may be swallowed and can cause the bowel to become tucked-up and telescoped in on itself. Thread can even tighten to act like a cheese wire and cut the bowel. This is extremely dangerous and requires very invasive emergency surgery.

Bella’s owner, Christopher Keane, said: “My niece was just sitting at the table doing some sewing and Bella grabbed the thread before we could stop her. Once I realised the string was stuck, I called Blue Cross to get an appointment for the next morning.
 

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the X-ray, I’m so glad she’s okay and she’s making a very speedy recovery. We’ll be much more alert around needles and thread from now on and keep her away when we’re sewing.”

The 4cm long needle had penetrated the roof of poor Bella’s mouth, with the string still attached and required surgery to remove it.

Bella is feeling much perkier now and has been given the all-clear by our vets - and she is steering clear during sewing time.