8 Mar 2022
Topsey the cat is home safe after eight months missing, which included a brief appearance on live TV during a League One football match followed by a 10-day stay at Paragon Veterinary Referrals.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
Image: Sheffield Wednesday / Twitter
A cat who invaded the pitch on live TV during a League One football match has been treated by vets after having been missing for months.
Topsey had been missing for eight months before she was picked up by players during Sheffield Wednesday’s home match with Wigan Athletic on 8 February.
A microchip check at a local vets confirmed she belonged to Alison Jubb, from Sheffield, who’d reported her missing in June 2021, but further tests also revealed Topsey needed veterinary care.
She was referred to Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, where neurology resident Michal Mol uncovered the extent of her injuries.
Dr Mol said: “Topsey underwent CT and MRI scans, and was diagnosed with a fracture of a vertebrae in her neck, severe ligament damage and spinal cord compression.
“In this case, surgery didn’t seem necessary at this point, and we treated Topsey with strict cage rest and pain management.”
Topsey had originally gone missing from near Worrall, about 2.5 miles away from Hillsborough, but where she had been and what she had been doing for the previous eight months remains a mystery.
Dr Mol added: “She was with us for 10 days and gradually got better every day. Towards the end of her stay in hospital she was walking with confidence, with a good range of movement in the head and neck.
“Finally, she was allowed home with her owner to administer a course of antibiotics. We are very optimistic about Topsey and her recovery. We think she is going to do well.”
