A CAT left fighting for her life after eating a grass seed has celebrated her tenth birthday after successful life-saving surgery by specialist vets.
Siamese cat, Merry, who loves exploring the Paglesham countryside, needed multiple surgeries and a feeding tube after the seed pierced her stomach, causing a potentially deadly infection.
She was referred to DWR Veterinary Specialists in Cambridgeshire, where Rachel Hattersley, a specialist in soft tissue surgery, successfully removed the seed.
However, Merry’s condition worsened as she developed an infection, with Ms Hattersley explaining: “Merry was initially very ill following surgery and required medications to manage her blood pressure and a plasma transfusion.”
Her owners, Laura and Nigel Blackaby, were told that their beloved cat was in a critical state.
Laura said: “After the surgery, we were told Merry was stable, but she was not out of the woods as the infection had taken hold.
“We visited her, and she did not respond to us and looked so frail. It was really upsetting.”
For nearly a week, Merry was fed through a tube in her nose and given intravenous medicines, but nothing seemed to work to stop the infection.
Her veins kept collapsing, and the only hope was to fit an oesophagus tube for feeding and medication.
The tube proved successful, and Merry began to improve.
The vets allowed the family to nurse her at home, feed her, and administer medications several times a day through the tube.
Laura said: “Merry was so good at letting us nurse her and seemed to sense we were trying to help her.”
With the family’s love and care, Merry gradually regained her strength.
Laura added: “Five weeks after she was first admitted to DWR, we took her back to have the tube removed.
“It was ‘make or break’ but thankfully she started to regain her appetite.
“We recently celebrated her 10th birthday, something which a few weeks before we never thought we would see.”
Rachel Hattersley, the specialist surgeon, who originally operated on Merry, said: “Her recovery was slow, but she has thankfully made steady progress.
“We’re delighted this brave cat is now feeling back to herself.”
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