Festive warning after five-hour op to save kitten

Bear, pictured recovering from his operation, ate netting from a roast beef which caused a blockage in his intestines

Pet owners are being urged to be careful over Christmas after a kitten was left fighting for his life when he ate netting from a roast beef.

Bear was just six months old when he helped himself to leftovers at owner Joshua Simpson's home in Darlington last Boxing Day.

He under went a five-hour operation to save his life but the blockage was so serious part of his intestines had to be removed.

Mr Simpson said: "We felt awful, so now we're careful to put everything away immediately and never leave food or leftovers out."

Mr Simpson, 32, was unemployed when Bear became unwell and he could not afford vet fees.

The kitten was later treated by a PDSA vet in Middlesbrough and an X-ray confirmed there was a blockage.

The netting from the roast beef was removed from Bear's intestines

Vet Gabrielle Fish said seeing the relief and joy when animals were reunited with their owners was the best part of the job.

"The operation took nearly five hours, thankfully we were able to remove all the string but we also had to remove two inches of Bear's intestines that were too damaged to be repaired," she added.

Joshua Simpson said during the "chaos of the day" the string from the roast beef had been left out and Bear was attracted by the smell

Bear has made a full recovery and Mr Simpson, who in now back in work, is preparing to spend his second Christmas with his beloved cat.

"Bear is incredibly important to us, he's so loving and he makes you smile even on the toughest days," he said.

"One of his favourite tricks is trying to dunk his head in the flour when we're cooking."

The charity said it expected to see about 23,000 pets over the two-week Christmas period.