August 15, 2025
A three-year-old cat is recovering well after undergoing an emergency gastrotomy at Taverham Veterinary Hospital, part of Taverham Vets, to remove a sewing needle from her stomach.
Owner Jo Nelson was sewing when her cat, Daz, unexpectedly jumped up and swallowed the needle.
“I was sitting at the dressing table when Daz walked in the room, jumped up as I put the needle and thread down, and just ate it,” explained Jo.
“It happened in a split second and was such a surreal thing, but it was horrific as I knew straight away just how dangerous it could be.
“I needed to get her to the vets just as quickly as possible.”
After catching Daz in the act, Jo rushed the cat straight to Taverham Vets’ Norfolk-based referral hospital, where the veterinary team swiftly attended to her.
On arrival, the team initially hoped to retrieve the needle non-invasively using a gastroscope down the cat’s throat. However, after a thorough X-ray examination, the needle was found lodged in Daz’s stomach.
Once located, Taverham Vets moved quickly to prevent the foreign body from causing a fatal organ puncture. The team proceeded with an emergency gastrotomy to remove the needle without causing internal damage.
“We opted to operate rather than go gastroscopically as we were worried we wouldn’t be able to find it very easily in amongst all the food,” said Veterinary Surgeon Noemi Nemes.
“When we located the needle, still with the thread attached, it was caught up in a hairball.
“If we hadn’t operated, then it could have caused a perforation of the intestine or stomach.
“That could have resulted in septic peritonitis which can be fatal.”
Following the successful surgery, Daz was kept at Taverham Vets overnight for observation before returning home to Jo. Thankfully, the lucky feline was soon back to eating normally and has now made a full recovery.
“We knew it could have pierced something if we risked waiting for it to perhaps come through her naturally,” said Jo. “So, I think the chances of her dying without the surgery would have been massive.
Owner Jo also took a moment to praise the team at Taverham Veterinary Hospital for their incredible standard of care.
“The team at Taverham handled everything so well and gave us confidence and we’re just grateful what they did for Daz.”
Taverham Vets is a three-site group of small animal veterinary practices offering comprehensive and advanced veterinary services across Norfolk and Norwich. The group includes its recently expanded referral hospital with modern facilities and specialist equipment, two branch surgeries, a 24/7 emergency service, a rehabilitation centre, and a luxury cattery.
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