Pixel the cat is recovering at home today after an astonishing 50 hairbands were removed from her stomach.
The mischievous moggy was rushed to vets by her worried family after she started vomiting inexplicably.
It was then discovered that she had a serious stomach blockage caused by a mass of hairbands she had secretly been swallowing.
Her owner, Blossom Fox, said: “We couldn’t believe it when the vets told us they had removed 50 hair bands from her stomach.
“We have seen her with the bands before, but assumed she left them once she played with them as we’d often discover them under the sofa or fridge.”
Blossom, 25 from Thetford, Norfolk, thinks that the hair accessories belonged to her and her two daughters, three-year-old Felicity and one-year-old Bonnie.
“Pixel would always come up to see us before we went to bed and we noticed she
seemed solemn one evening.
“She started to vomit a little, so we took her out of the room. However, in the morning
she wasn’t well at all, so we had to rush her to the vets.”
Veterinary surgeon Hannah Pinnock said: “We see all sorts of cases of pets eating things they shouldn’t, but it’s very unusual to see a cat swallow this amount of foreign bodies.
“This is a case of pica, where cats are attracted to eating objects that are not food.
“If you have a cat in the household it is worthwhile to keep items like ribbons,
shoelaces or hair bands out of the way.”