Sheffield Kitten Eats TV Ariel And Survives

A kitten in Sheffield has survived after eating a six-inch TV aerial.

Alphie had to have emergency surgery when the metal antenna became stuck in his oesophagus and stomach.

His owner, 36 year old Vanessa Waite from Parson Cross, had only owned the young tabby kitten for a few days when he started his love affair with the TV.

He would sit for a long time being mesmerised by the moving pictures on the screen, but she said she had no idea he had also developed an unhealthy obsession with the aerial.

"One night I heard a loud bang and went upstairs to investigate but I assumed Alphie had fallen off the window sill. He seemed okay and was just hiding under the bed. However, during the night he was being sick so the next morning I took him to the PDSA. It wasn't until later that I realised that one of the aerial antennas was missing from my TV."

The aerial would have killed the cat if it stayed inside him, so surgeons removed it through the kitten's stomach.

Liz Airey, senior veterinary surgeon at the PDSA Sheffield PetAid hospital, said it was one of the most unusual cases she had ever come across.

She said: "It's very rare. We did have a case a few years ago when a dog ate a tent peg but it's very unusual for such a solid object to be swallowed in this way. it seems as though thekitten had been playing with the antenna and inadvertently swallowed it which is a very unusual accident.

Ms Waite added: “I couldn't believe it when I saw the X-ray. The aerial looked huge in his tiny body. I'm so grateful to PDSA for saving his life, and it's amazing that he's gone on to make a full recovery.”