A six-month-old kitten used up one of his nine lives after he ate the netting from his owner’s Christmas roast beef and had to undergo emergency surgery.

Vets from the PDSA charity acted swiftly to save Bear after the netting from the beef joint caused a blockage in his intestines which almost killed him.

It happened on Boxing Day last year when Bear helped himself to leftovers at his owner Joshua Simpson’s home in Darlington.

The kitten was initially treated at his local vet but it became apparent more needed to be done and Mr Simpson could not afford the work as he was jobless at the time.

Bear was treated by the PDSA vet in Middlesbrough and an X-ray confirmed he had a blockage in his intestine which needed to be removed urgently.

Vet Gabrielle Fish said: “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.”

Mr Simpson, 32, said: “When the vets showed us what they’d pulled out of Bear I immediately recognised it – the netting off the roast beef we’d had on Christmas Day.

“In the chaos of the day we must’ve left it out, and he’d been attracted by the smell.

“We felt awful, so now we’re careful to put everything away immediately and never leave food or leftovers out.”

He added: “This was our first time using PDSA and the treatment was outstanding.

“I was out of work for a few months when this happened, and I just couldn’t have afforded the life-saving operation he needed.

“I want to say a huge thank you to PDSA for all their help and support – without the incredible team at Middlesbrough Pet Hospital, we wouldn’t have Bear with us for his second Christmas.”

The PDSA expects to see around 23,000 pets over the two-week Christmas break and is appealing for the public’s help to support free or low-cost treatment.

To find out more visit www.pdsa.org.uk/saveastar