He was eating, rubbing against people and purring. When Haru the cat arrived a few weeks ago at the Duisburg animal shelter in Germany, he seemed the picture of health. The volunteers immediately fell for this friendly tomcat. But what no one suspected was that appearances were terribly deceiving, as cats are true masters at hiding their pain.
A ticking time bomb lay dormant inside this affectionate cat. It wasn't until Haru suddenly started to vomit violently that it became clear something was seriously wrong.
A shocking discovery
What the staff discovered in his vomit wasn't leftover food. It was a piece of plastic and electronic components! On closer inspection, the team was horrified: it was a fragment of a laser pointer. The alarm was raised immediately. If one part had come out, where was the rest?
Haru was rushed to the veterinary clinic for an X-ray.
A race against time
When the vets examined the image, they turned pale. The cat's stomach contained more sharp pieces from the broken device. He was at risk of an intestinal blockage, which could lead to an agonising death.
Even more shockingly, the vets discovered that Haru must have swallowed the laser pointer before he even arrived at the shelter, which was at least ten days earlier. For ten days, he had carried these dangerous fragments inside him without a single complaint.
He was operated on immediately, and thankfully, it was a success. The vets managed to remove all the foreign objects via endoscopy. The Duisburg shelter has since shared some reassuring news: Haru handled the procedure well and is now on the road to recovery.
But this story serves as a warning to all pet owners. The shelter reminds everyone: “Be careful about the objects you leave lying around your pets.” Haru was incredibly lucky; his ‘big appetite’ for the wrong kind of toy nearly cost him his life.
