A cat had a sewing needle lodged inside his mouth.
Vet Case Study by Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow).
Script written on 27 Feb 2025.
Part 1/2. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Part 2/2. How to remove a sewing needle inside a cat's mouth during a house-call.
Part 1/2 highlights that the proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed" does apply to feline behaviour too.
Part
2/2 discusses about the treatment - how did I extricate the needle inside
the aggressively angry cat's mouth during a house-call
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PART 1/2 VIDEO.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, in July 2010, Mr Hall from the Grand Hyatt, Singapore was badly scratched when he tried to open his brown cat's mouth to pull out the sewing needle and thread. He phoned Toa Payoh Vets for a house-call. My two veterinary assistants, Mr T T Aung and Mr T H Saw kindly volunteered their Saturday evening to help me.
In Part 1/2, the illustration by ChatGPT showed a scene in which Mr Aung was holding the partially sedated cat for me to open the cat's mouth to examine. Suddenly, a grey-white cat hissed loudly. Before we could see him, he had leapt up high, pouncing onto Mr Aung's backside and legs.
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A cat had a sewing needle lodged inside his mouth.
Vet Case Study by Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow).
Script written on 27 Feb 2025.
Part 1/2. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Mr and Mrs Hall lived with two cats in a 2-bedroom suite in the Grand Hyatt, Singapore.
His brown cat had his wife’s sewing needle inside the painful mouth.
The cat scratched Mr Hall’s hand to prevent the needle from being taken out.
Mr Hall phoned Toa Payoh Vets for a house-call as his cat would not go inside the cat carrier to be transported to Mr Hall’s veterinarian.
In this Part 1/2 video, Mr Aung had scruffed the brown cat’s neck and was taking him out of Bedroom 2.
Suddenly, a grey cat leapt high up towards Mr Aung’s back as he walked towards the table in the living room.
His hisses spilled drops of saliva out of his mouth. He extended his front paws and sank his claws into Mr Aung’s back.
Gravity pulled the feline attacker on to the floor. However, he managed to sink his claws onto Mr Aung's backside and black pants. Mr Hall quickly carried him out to the living room.
Mr Hall announced: "The cat is trying to protect me!".
I did not reply but I knew the cat attacked Mr Aung to save his companion who was drugged and incapable of movement.
“A friend in need is a friend indeed” is a proverb meaning “a person who helps at a difficult time is a person who you can really rely on.”
This proverb applied to cats too, as evident in the second cat attacking Mr Aung to help his sedated feline friend.
Part 1/2 video shows that the proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed" does apply to feline behaviour too. However, Mr Hall attributed the behaviour to the cat attack as the cat trying to protect Mr Hall.What do you think?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A big thank you to Dr Aung Thein Tun, BVSc (Yezin) and Dr Saw Thet Htun BVSc (Yezin) for helping me in the house-call 15 years ago.They operate their own respective veterinary surgeries - the Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery and Forever Veterinary Surgery in Myanamr.
END OF VIDEO
Thank you for watching.
A cat had a sewing needle lodged inside his mouth.
Vet Case Study by Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow).
Part 1/2. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Part 2/2. How to remove a sewing needle inside a cat's mouth during a house-call.
The two videos will be available at www.youtube.com/c/99pups
UPDATE:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2025/02/4471-vet-case-study-video-needle-and.html
MORE
EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS AT:
www.youtube.com/c/99pups
PHOTOS
FOR SALE:
www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets
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VIDEO OF SEWING WOMAN
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DRAFT SCRIPT
1. Sewing needle inside the cat's mouth
1. AT THE SCENE
2. ARMING THE TROOPS FOR THE BATTLE
3. FRONT LINE DANGERS
4. UNDER DOSED
5. CAUTION
6. SUCCESS
2. House-call.
I packed my bag with Domitor, Antisedan, Xylazine, Ketamine,
antibiotics, swabs, a pair of forceps, needles 21G and one-ml syringes
2.1 Assistants x 2.
3. Risks
3.1 Clawed
3.2 Restraint of cat
3.2.1 Scruff of neck
3.2.2 Sedative. Normal dosage. Reduced dosage.
3.2.3 Towel wrap
4. Actual situation.
Master bathroom
Escape of cat behind day curtains
Sedation of cat
Hides under bed. What to do? Mr Hall lifted bed.
Scruff and wrap towel by Mr Aung
2nd cat suicide bomber attacked Mr Saw's back legs.
5. Lessons learnt
Need a cat-fearless assistant - nimble and quick.
5.1 Keep 2nd cat in Bedroom 2.
5.2 Death risks. Under-dosage best
5.2.1 Stressed cat - lower dosage or death
5.2.2 Prepare sedation before catching the cat
5.5 Cat scratches and swollen hands - doctor. No rabies in Singapore but cat scratch fever may be present.
5.6 Crate the cat and go to surgery. Transport man.
PRESENT SITUATION IN 2025.
15 years later.
Mr Aung Thein Tun and Mr Saw Thet Htun runs successful vet practices in Myanmar.
Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery and Forever Veterinary Surgery.
I am 75 year old.
Grand Hyatt has had a makeover in 2024.
CONFLICTS
1. Danger to man - swollen fingers and infection from cat scratches, no rabies in Singapore.
2. Danger to cat - sedation
3. Suicide bomber
4. Costs of house-call
5. Cat transport people
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
UPDATE:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2025/02/4471-vet-case-study-video-needle-and.html
MORE
EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS AT:
www.youtube.com/c/99pups
PHOTOS
FOR SALE:
www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets
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VET CASE STUDY:
Wed 7 July 2010
A needle and thread inside a cat's mouth - 5 July 2010
So I had to make a house-call on a fine weekday evening to Grand Hyatt where Mr Hall lived as he was the Senior Manager. My two assistants, Mr Aung Thein Tun and Mr Saw Thet Htun who was on leave met me at the lights-down lobby. The hotel guard took us in the elevator up to his unit.
Mr Aung is a hands-on man with no time to waste. This cat was crouched tightly inside the master bathroom between the water closet and the wall. He grabbed its scruff, grabbed him and placed him on the cat's white towel on the bed in the master bedroom. I had not briefed my assistants and was therefore surprised.
"It is best to prepare the sedative before catching the cat," I said to Mr Aung. "Look at the cat to estimate his weight and prepare the correct dose."
The cat was displeased and pawed Mr Aung vigorously. Mr Aung released him. The cat bounced off the bed and went under the master bed. There was a moment of indecision as Mr and Mrs Hall and I did not know what to do.
"Maybe Mrs Hall should under the bed to get the cat out," I said like a General who barked orders from the safety of an army headquarters far away from the battle scene. Nobody moved.
"Let's lift up the bed," Mr Hall suggested intelligently. Mr Hall and my two assistants lifted up one end. I helped. It was surprisingly a very light bed but there were four of us. Mrs Hall looked on.
Being exposed, the cat sprang to hide behind the day curtains. The room has two sets of curtains. The day curtains are the translucent type. Mr Aung walked quickly towards the curtains to make friends with the cat. What he does normally is to talk to the cat and slowly let the cat (or dog) get used to the smell of his hand. The cat was ready to scratch him as he had scratched Mr Hall's hand a few times when Mr Hall tried to open the mouth to take out the needle.
ARMING THE TROOPS FOR BATTLE
"Prepare the sedative first," I said to Mr Aung. That would be what I would do before touching the cat. I estimated the cat to weigh 3 kg. Though he was adopted as a local cat, he certainly was bigger and fatter than the stray cats we see around the neighbourhood. Mr Aung got 0.1 ml Domitor and 0.1 ml Ketamine in one syringe and gave it to me. He realised that this cat would never accept an IV injection. IV injections at the Surgery could be done because the cat would be in foreign territory and would not be so ferocious usually. Here, the cat was on home ground.
FRONT LINE DANGERS
Being a hands-on man, Mr Aung never hesitated from feline dangers. He walked on his tip toes and squatted swiftly in front of the day curtains. In one speedy grab, his right hand gripped the cat's scruff. He placed the cat on the white towel on the master bed. I was ready with my syringe and in less than one second, I had injected the cat's backside muscle with 0.2 ml IM of the combined sedative. Mr Aung let go of the cat.
UNDER-DOSED
It is always safe to under-dose a frightened cat. I knew the dose was insufficient. For the next 5 minutes, the cat ambled out of the master bedroom, dashed across the living cum dining room with the open concept kitchen and disappeared into Bedroom 2 at the other end of this apartment. Another 5 minutes passed. The cat was as fresh as a daisy.
REINFORCEMENTS
In a losing battle, the commander must call for reinforcements. "Give the cat Domitor IV," Mr Aung proposed catching the cat as he was one never afraid of getting cat scratches. "All three of us are veterans with cat scars on our hands" I had said to assure Mr Hall who must be wondering what was going on. The sedative seemed to be like a dud missile that fell and did not explode.
CAUTION
Soldiers could shock and awe in battle with more bombings to kill the enemies. But this is a cat that must be alive at the end of the house-call. "Better not to give another sedative," I advised Mr Aung. "The cat may react and die. Just wrap the cat inside a towel with his head sticking out. That would be safer."
Mr Aung went inside Bedroom 2 to risk his hands and got the cat by the scruff of the neck. Mr Hall and Mr Saw and Mrs Hall were inside Bedroom 2. As the room was small, I stood outside the door to supervise.
While Mr Aung was holding the cat for Mr Saw to wrap the towel around, the second cat, white with grey patches suddenly leapt up to claw Mr Aung's back legs. I just could not believe this suicide bomber attack. This attacking cat hissed and swung his paws widely. He leapt up but gravity pulled him down. From my point of view, he had attacked Mr Aung to save his companion.
In cat attacks, it is wise not to interfere. Water hosing would be ideal but not inside the apartment. Mr Hall managed to get the attacker out of the room. The brave feline slinked outside the room and would not go away. He was just so furious. Was it the attention the other cat was getting? No, he was trying to save his friend.
Mr Hall said to me: "This cat is very protective and was protecting me." Well, next time, no other cats should be present.
The next day, I noted that Mr Saw's left hand had two cat scratches too when we were taking blood from a dog. So, Mr Saw had suffered too.
ACTION
After wrapping the cat in the towel, the cat seemed quiet. I said to Mr Saw: "Put the cat on this kitchen counter." I gave Mr Aung the forceps from my bag. He opened the cat's mouth. "There's the needle stuck in the hard palate!" he showed the object.
"Should
give Antisedan," Mr Aung advised me. "Antisedan is an antidote," I said
to Mr Hall. "The cat will wake up immediately. If Antisedan is not
given, he would wake up fully over a few hours. Which do you prefer?""It is better that the cat be sedated for a while," Mr Hall said.
"There is a small risk that the cat may not wake up. A very small risk. Antisedan injection ensures that the cat's heart and lung systems are back to normal promptly."
The cat inside the towel hissed and hissed. Mr Hall agreed to the Antisedan injection. This was given via the cat's femoral vein at 0.1 ml IV. "Take the cat out of the towel and put him on the floor," I said to Mr Saw rather urgently.
HAPPY ENDING
Everybody was happy that this cat was back to normal. Most important, the cat survived an anaesthetic.
Mr Hall asked me for my name card as he was surprised that I was prompt in answering his house call. Mrs Hall would be more careful with her sewing needles and threads from now on.
CONCLUSION
Never give the frightened cat a second dose of sedatives as the cat may just die. This case took three times as long but the cat was alive and that was what every owner wants. It is best to treat such cases at the Surgery. Normally I don't even want to do it at the house as there are so many complications and surprises. Besides, it takes a longer time.
RE-ORGANISATION
After a battle, the soldiers will re-group and review. In my case, I said to Mr Aung and Mr Saw that Xylazine 20 + Ketamine 100 @ 0.1 ml + 0.4 ml respectively in one syringe IM would be more effective for this <3kg cat as a sedative compared to Domitor 0.1ml + Ketamine 0.1 ml IM. There are many ways to sedate a cat and since Domitor was chosen and it was one of the recommended sedatives, I had to respond to the challenges involved when the cat was full of beans after the Domitor injection and ambled off. Mr Hall must be thinking that the vet was inexperienced as the cat was not 100% knocked out.
We all learn from hands-on experiences in real situations. All theories about anaesthetics are excellent but the realities of the situation can be so much different and in this case, quite painful for Mr Aung and Mr Saw as they were scratched and attacked by the suicide bomber cat.
A cat in pain and fright is as dangerous as a lion if you had been present in Mr Hall's apartment when I was doing the house-call. Sedation dosage must be minimal as the cat was highly stressed. A calculated normal dosage could kill the cat in such situations. Hence, I under-dosed him.
I still can't believe that there was a suicide-bomber cat digging his claws into Mr Aung's hands and fighting off Mr Saw's intervention. If the case was handled at the Surgery, it would have been much more safer for the feline patient and the vet assistants!
UPDATE:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2025/02/4471-vet-case-study-video-needle-and.html
MORE
EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS AT:
www.youtube.com/c/99pups
PHOTOS
FOR SALE:
www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets
