Curiosity almost killed cat with a taste for shoelaces

A cat was miraculously saved by vets after it got itself into a terrible tangle with its bizarre diet of shoelaces. Two-year-old Garry went along to the PDSA Pet Hospital at Brighton, Sussex, for his annual vaccine but vets discovered an extremely large mass in his stomach. The black and white cat was admitted for further tests and worried owner Ana Barbosa, 32, was told to prepare for the worst as a life-threatening tumour was suspected.



Quick-thinking PDSA vet Jess Maguire started exploratory surgery and was shocked to discover laces, hair bands and plastic in Garry's stomach. If left undetected, the items, shoelaces and ‘several’ hair bands, could have caused a potentially fatal blockage. According to vets the items were eaten over a period of time and it was a miracle the feline wasn't suffering any side effects after his bizarre snacking habits.



Ana, from Hove, East Sussex, said: “Garry is a very cheeky little chap who has always preferred playing with human things instead of cat toys. But we had no idea he was actually eating the shoelaces and hair bands. I had washed some laces from my trainers which went missing and I never for one moment thought that Garry was the reason why. When I first heard it may be a tumour, I was devastated, my two boys and I all adore him.



“So although I was absolutely shocked to find out what the mass was, we were relieved to hear the good news that it wasn’t a tumour. We are so grateful to the PDSA for saving Garry's life – he’s a big part of our family and we would have been heartbroken if we had lost him so young. Now we know how mischievous he can be, we’ll definitely be keeping a closer eye on him in future.” PDSA vet Jess Maguire urged owners to be vigilant where peckish pets are concerned. She said: “We often see dogs who have eaten odd things, but it is quite unusual for a cat to eat so many different items.”