Kitty Swallows More Than 14 Hair Ties, Saved by Emergency Surgery

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — We're not sure how many lives this cat has had, but we're pretty sure he's got less than eight left after this incident. And who knew hair ties were so tasty to cats?

A seven-year-old Siamese cat named "Kitty" was admitted on Sunday to MSPCA-Angell in Jamaica Plain after eating at least 14 hair ties that had gotten lodged in his stomach and intestines.

Kitty went under the knife in a two-hour surgery in which doctors not only removed the hair ties, but five centimeters of intestines which were considered unsalvageable because of the twisting and turning of the ties.

According to Angell's Dr. Emma-Leigh Pearson, there wasn't a moment to spare: "The foreign body [hair ties] had nearly perforated Kitty's intestine and he could have died if the surgery had been delayed," she said in a statement.

Kitty was surrendered to the MSPCA by his owner (who apparently had already been trying to re-home the cat).

His story underscores the need for pet owners to keep potentially dangerous items out of reach of pets, reminds the MSPCA The most common foreign bodies surgically removed from pets every year at the MSPCA include: sewing needs and thread, yarn, socks, plastic bags, tinsel and garland-and myriad other items small enough to be consumed by pets.

Kitty will recover for several more days and is expected to be available for adoption by Monday, March 14. Anyone interested in adopting this sweet-natured and very friendly cat can email adoption@mspca.org for more info or visit the Boston adoption center in Jamaica Plain.

Photos and information: MSPCA