Kitten survives swallowing TV aerial
A kitten has made a full recovery after swallowing a TV aerial, thanks to veterinary surgeons that removed the 15 centimetre-long metal antenna from his oesophagus and stomach.
Alfie, who is only a few months old, has been obsessed with the TV since he first moved in, according to his owner, Vanessa Waite. She said he would sit for a long time, mesmerised by the moving pictures on the screen.
One evening, Ms Waite heard a loud bang from upstairs, which she assumed was Alfie falling from a window sill. He was hiding under the bed when she went to check on him, but she thought he seemed okay.
However, Alfie began vomiting during the night, so Ms Waite rushed him to the PDSA Sheffield PetAid hospital, where x-rays showed he had swallowed a TV aerial that was almost six inches long.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw the x-ray," said Ms Waite. "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."
The hospital's senior veterinary surgeon, Liz Airey, said it's very unusual for such a solid object to be swallowed in this way.
She commented: "It's fortunate that he didn't swallow it the other way round as the sharp, broken end could have punctured his stomach and caused damage to his intestines, which could have been fatal."
Ms Waite added that the accident has, sadly, not taught Alfie any lessons. She said he'll try to put anything in his mouth and he still loves the TV, but she is careful not to leave him on his own with it anymore.
BSAVA is to partner with BVA Live (11-12 June 2026) to champion clinical research.
