Darn, Sox! What have you been up to?

Cape Town - Sox, an adorable kitten from Hanover Park, proved that he is tougher than needles after swallowing a sewing needle and thread, and luckily pooping it out without hurting himself.

Curiosity almost cost playful Sox, an adorable kitten from Hanover Park his life when he accidentally swallowed the foreign object.

Animal Welfare SA said that the situation is not unusual as ear plugs and needles are objects that cats enjoy playing with and sometimes end up swallowing.

“Cats appear to be drawn to the smell of our ear wax and reportedly enjoy chewing on thin metallic objects that should never be left lying around.”

Sox managed to pass the needle and thread on Tuesday without causing any injury to himself – to the relief of everyone.

“The fact that the thread untangled itself from his intestines and the sharp needle travelled through his little body without causing any intestinal lacerations makes him one very lucky cat.”

The organisation said that since the start of the lockdown there has been a increase in the number of people picking up home enterprises.

“The cobwebs have been dusted off idle sewing machines, and rusty tools replaced with shiny new equipment as many desperate South Africans turned their hobbies into income generators.

“Dining room tables became work benches and garages swiftly converted into workshops, in many instances without proper regard for health and safety regulations,” Animal Welfare SA said.

“Our pets, who are instinctively inquisitive, took great interest in our new work-from-home lifestyle and keenly tested, tasted and played with much of what we left lying around.

“This may explain why we have noticed an increase in the number of patients being admitted with potentially fatal linear foreign object ingestion and poisoning.”

The organisation said that over the past few months it has had to surgically extract tennis balls, a variety of needles, women’s underwear, socks, mielie cobs, bones, cutlery and pieces of hardware from otherwise well-cared for pets.

They added that they have also treated an extraordinary number of animals for poisoning and are hopeful that in bringing attention to Sox’s story, it will motivate everyone to ensure that their workspaces are safe.

Cape Argus