Southfields surgery after cat lived with pellet in head for two years

Simon Melvin was left in disbelief when vets at the Linnaeus-owned Warren House Veterinary Group in Kent found a pellet lodged in the skull of the cat named Sypha.

Sypha had been living with health problems for two years.

The pellet's location, lodged in her nasopharynx - the space between the brain and nasal cavity - was a unique case.

The shocking image of Sypha’s CT scan at Southfields Veterinary Specialists showing the pellet lodged between her brain and the nasal cavity (Image: Linnaeus)

The vets had ‘never seen anything like it’ and referred his pet to the renowned Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Basildon.

Mr Melvin said: “When the vets at Warren House told me someone had shot her I was mortified, especially as I instantly knew when it had happened.

“I remembered her coming home with a wound on her nose almost two years previously, which my local vet and myself thought was just a scratch.

“So, it was really upsetting to think that horrible thing had been stuck in her head for nearly two years.

“I felt rather silly for not figuring it out at the time, though I imagine I’d have gone straight out looking for the cowardly wretch had I done so.”

“I never expected such terrible news, though."

Sypha was referred for a CT scan after showing signs of respiratory noise and occasional drooling.

The pellet's unique location presented an unprecedented challenge resulting in complex surgery.

Carlos Rubinos, a recognised specialist in small animal surgery, and his team performed a never-done-before surgery at Southfields, involving splitting Sypha's palate to extract the pellet, followed by palate reconstruction.

The surgery was a success and Sypha was allowed home the day after, and her recovery has been remarkable since.

Sypha is now fully recovered from her two-year ordeal (Image: Simon Melvin)

Mr Melvin added: "Southfields were absolutely brilliant - the level of care you receive is top notch, you can really tell the vets love animals too.

"(Sypha is) now back to her old self, fully recovered and doing fantastically - it's like nothing had ever happened.

"She’s back to running around like a maniac again which is really great to see."