3 Feb 2021
Rescue cat Kisha, 17, required urgent treatment from teams at Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Essex after run-in with fox.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Kisha's wound.
A cat bitten on the head by a fox needed emergency surgery by emergency vets for a double skull fracture and two brain abscesses.
Rescue cat Kisha, 17, was referred to Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Laindon, Essex for urgent treatment after the fox encounter.
The delicate operation was carried out by head of neurology Ane Uriarte working alongside anaesthesia clinician Fabio Cilli.
While the injuries were extensive, the treatment was a success and Kisha has made a full recovery.
Dr Uriarte said: “She came home appearing very timid and frightened – nothing like her usual self. Over the following week, she started showing signs of neurological problems. She was circling around, displaying abnormal behaviour and her eye sight had deteriorated alarmingly.
“She was sent to us as an emergency case and we immediately carried out an MRI scan of the brain, which showed she had been bitten in the head, almost certainly by a fox, and she had a double skull fracture on both sides of her head.”
Dr Uriarte added: “Kisha also had two abscesses growing inside her brain, so she needed to undergo emergency brain surgery. The first thing to do was to remove the pus and then we repaired the skull fractures by inserting titanium plates.
“Kisha did really well, and the next morning she appeared back to normal and went home just two days later, having completely recovered her sight and with all the neurological effects having disappeared.”
