Boston vets fix feline's face after `cat'-astrophe

Maverick · Dec 10, 2008

Face-off

Boston vets fix feline's face after `cat'-astrophe

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS - Associated Press Writer
BOSTON -- Me-ouch! Veterinarians on Tuesday performed an unusual surgery to reattach the face of a cat they believe was injured by a car's fan belt, probably because she tried to stay warm under the hood.
Edgar, a 4-year-old long-haired feline, went missing from her home in Winthrop for three days last week. When she finally came home, her owner found her in her litter box - with part of her face dangling from her head.
"When her owner saw her face, she passed out," said Elizabeth Kendrick, a surgical technician at Angell Animal Medical Center.

Russell Contreras
AP Photo - Dr. Michael Pavletic, director of surgical services at Angell Animal Medical Center, performs surgery on a 4-year-old long-haired female cat named Edgar at the medical center, in Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008. In an unusual surgery, veterinarians were able to reattach the face of the cat that was slashed by a car's fan belt while she apparently tried to stay warm under the hood.

Steven Senne
AP Photo - Edgar, a 4-year-old long-haired female cat, is seen with stitches running the length of her face while resting with an Elizabethan collar around her neck following surgery at the Angell Animal Medical Center, in Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008. Veterinarians completed an unusual surgery to reattach the face of the cat that was slashed by a car's fan belt while she apparently tried to stay warm under the hood.

Russell Contreras
AP Photo - Dr. Michael Pauletic, director of surgical services at Angell Animal Medical Center, performs surgery on a 4-year-old long-haired female cat named Edgar at the medical center, in Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008. In an unusual surgery, veterinarians were able to reattach the face of the cat that was slashed by a car's fan belt while she apparently tried to stay warm under the hood.

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Vets fix feline's face after 'cat'-astrophe

The owner, who asked not to be identified, recovered from the shock and rushed Edgar to an animal hospital.
Remarkably, Edgar suffered no major blood loss nor any permanent nerve damage from her accident. She just needed to have her facial skin stitched back on during an hour-long surgery, according to veterinary surgeon Michael Pavletic.
"And she should be fine after this," Pavletic said.
Besides the skin hanging from Edgar's face, Edgar seemed normal, Kendrick said.
"She was purring and sticking her head up so we could pet her," Kendrick said. "She even tried to chew at her skin. I'd never seen anything like it."
Pavletic reattached Edgar's face using about 35 stitches. She came through the surgery with no problems, though she looks as though someone punched her in the eye. "She'll need to take some medicine but I don't anticipate her having any problems," Pavletic said.
Bonnie Beaver, a professor of small animal clinical services at Texas A&M University, said such animal injuries are extremely rare since cats are usually killed instantly from car fan belts.
"She may have problems later," Beaver said, "but the cat was saying, 'I may have lost this life but, by golly, I have eight more.'"
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Akki · Dec 10, 2008

omg.... amazing jobs the doctors did...

AsianInvasion · Dec 10, 2008

ouch that must have hurt for the cat thoughh >__

ralliart · Dec 10, 2008

Wow..........Looks like the doctors did a great job.

krazyaznboi · Dec 10, 2008

ah...!!
that sounds painful
imagine to have the skin of your face dangling

Boston vets fix feline's face after `cat'-astrophe

Maverick Lord Vader

Akki ...

AsianInvasion Well-Known Member

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krazyaznboi Well-Known Member