A pet owner was counting the cost today after forking out more than £400 to remove a blade of grass from her cat’s throat.
Vets were baffled when Daisy, a six-and-a-half-year old black-and-white cat, developed a persistent cough which refused to respond to medication.
So they put a tiny camera down the moggie’s throat and spotted the two-inch blade lodged in her soft pallet.
Owner Jackie Fry, 55, who was left with a bill of £411, said: “It was a hell of a lot of money but that is what these things cost now-a-days.
“I knew the procedure was going to be expensive, we were expecting it to be a lot given what she went through, but it all seems a bit much for a piece of grass.
“My husband and I were laughing about it because we worked out the total cost for our lawn, at £411 a blade, it would come to £15.2million.
“I think we may have to move to a flat with no garden if Daisy makes a habit of it!”
Worried Jackie, of Thorpe Bay, Essex, first noticed that something was wrong with Daisy when she began continuously coughing.
Vets gave Daisy anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medication and checked her throat but were unable to see anything.
They were then forced to sedate her and perform an endoscopy – which revealed the lodged blade of grass – and they used surgical tweezers to remove it.
The retired building society worker said: “We were shocked when we were told it was a blade of grass that had caused it all but glad that it had been sorted.
“I actually found the whole thing quite funny, I see her go out most days and have a munch on the grass, I think it’s medicinal for cats, it helps them to get rid of their hairballs.
“Daisy is normally very healthy so this is a bit of a worry for us, but I hope she doesn’t keep doing it, otherwise it could prove to be very expensive for us!
“We don’t have insurance so we had to pay out of pocket. We got an itemised bill and everything on there was fair, it’s just amazing how it all adds up.
“But you have no choice when she’s as much a member of the family as anyone.”
Jackie is no stranger to high vets’ bills after her other cat, Louis, had to have all his teeth removed last summer at a cost of £600.
“Having looked at the bill and what we had to pay for Louis we are thinking that perhaps we should have gotten insurance in the first place, you do forget how much it can cost,” she added.
Daisy is now at home recovering after her surgery but Jackie said that is has not stopped the moggy from going out into the back garden to munch on grass.
