Cat undergoes third Nerf-related surgery

A cat who developed a taste for foam rubber Nerf bullets has baffled veterinarians at a Queensland practice.

Casper the cat's owner, a young boy with an enthusiasm for indoor toy gunplay, taught the cat to retrieve the projectiles, but never expected Casper to ingest them.

According to the Toowoomba Chronicle, the most recent hospital visit was Casper's third Nerf-related trip to hospital.

He first came in with a foam bullet in his stomach at six months old, and recovered after surgery and  a drip.

But he was a back only a month later with the same problem, then a third time this week.

Veterinary behaviourist Dr Kersti Seksel of Sydney Animal Behaviour Specialists told ninemsn that animals, like people, can develop a disorder where they compulsively eat non-edible things.

"It's called 'pica'," said Dr Seksel.

"It can be something like obsessive-compulsive disorder, and if it causes blockages it can be very serious."

Dr Seksel said animals were oftern given attention or praise when they retrieved things, but they didn't usually eat them.

But cats with pica will eat a range of materials – wool, cotton, latex and even rubber bands, she said.

The Nerf gun and its bullets have now been locked away from Casper, so hopefully this will be her final trip to the vet for this particular problem. 

Author: Lachlan Williams; Approving Editor: Jack Hawke 

Source: Toowoomba Chronicle