Cat's 'deadly tumour' turned out to be blade of grass in nose

Veterinary staff treating a cat who was thought to have a deadly tumour up her nose had a shock when they discovered a blade of grass was behind her symptoms.

Pixie, a six-year-old British Blue, was taken to the vet with a history of sneezing and was treated for cat flu. When staff at Wood Green animal shelter in Cambridgeshire discovered a nasal lump, they feared she had cancer. But a scan revealed Pixie had ingested a 4cm (1.5in) blade of grass, and tissue had started to grow over it.



"It seems like such a simple problem - a cat eating a blade of grass - but when it was undiagnosed it turned into something much more extensive and frightening," said Jane Harrup from Wood Green in Godmanchester. The offending flora was removed on New Year's Eve, the charity said.

"Pixie's story has been a real eye-opener for us, we were so upset because it really looked like a tumour - thank goodness for CT scans," added Ms Harrup. Pixie, who had been living at Wood Green since last October, has been rehomed following her operation.