Cat impaled by bamboo stick narrowly avoids death

A three-year-old cat survived a horrific ordeal after becoming impaled onto a 10-inch-long bamboo stick.  

Shadow, a Domestic Short Hair, was discovered by his loving owner, Mark Rozier to have a bamboo stick punctured straight through into his chest.  Mark, who lives in South East London with Shadow, was absolutely horrified after hearing a scream at four in the morning, to find the stick completely stuck in Shadow. 

Mark said: "I have lung disease, which often means I struggle to get to sleep at night. It was 4am and I heard an awful screaming, I immediately got up and ran to my kids' bedroom to check they were ok.  The kids were still fast asleep, so I followed the screaming sound into the back garden, where I could see Shadow stood on top of the back wall, with something sticking out of him. Shadow was clearly in distress, continuing to call out.    

"We think he must have landed on an upright piece of bamboo stick in a neighbouring garden, and somehow managed to keep moving with the bamboo stick stuck in his body. It was an absolute horror to see, we honestly thought he wouldn't make it." 

Shadow jumped off the wall into the neighbouring back garden as Mark tried to approach him, leaving Mark to think Shadow had gone off to die.  After a long time searching for Shadow, he finally came back into his garden, and Mark rang PDSA, who advised him to immediately come to Thamesmead PDSA Pet Hospital, where the team got straight to work to save his life.  

Malcom Fletcher, Vet at Thamesmead PDSA Pet Hospital said: "We were just as shocked as Mark when he brought in Shadow to see the bamboo stick penetrating into his chest.  The x-rays revealed the bamboo stick had gone in between two ribs and punctured the chest wall. This allowed air into the space between the wall of the chest and the lungs themselves, causing Shadow's lung to begin to collapse."  

Shadow required urgent surgery to remove the stick, and his distraught owners were warned that Shadow could die from this injury. The air was drained from Shadow's chest and the wound in his chest wall was repaired to allow the lung to reinflate and prevent any further collapse.  

Every 24 hours, PDSA treats 249 emergency cases like Shadow's across its 49 Pet Hospitals. But with demand on the charity's services getting bigger, it has launched a Critical Care Appeal to appeal for much-needed donations.   

Thanks to the PDSA vet team's efforts, despite the high-risk Shadow's surgery went well, and after an overnight stay, he was on the road to recovery.  

Much to the delight of Mark, Shadow was able to go home the very next day to continue his recovery with pain relief, antibiotics, and instructions to rest.  

Mark added: "After the warning that Shadow might not make it, we were just thinking the worst. We couldn't imagine our lives without Shadow – he's not just a pet, he is a family member. He brings all of the family so much comfort.  He's back to being his adventurous self again and we're so relieved his recovery has gone well."  

The total cost of Shadow's urgent life-saving treatment cost PDSA nearly £900. As a charity that receives no government funding, PDSA relies solely on generous donations from the public.  

Every 24 hours across PDSA's 49 Pet Hospitals, the team sees over 4,800 pets. As part of its Critical Care Appeal, the charity is appealing for donations to help more pets in need like Shadow when it matters most. Visit www.pdsa.org.uk/24hours to help.