Wakefield animal hospital saves cat with heart condition so rare only a handful are reported around the world

Three-year-old McCoy, who was suffering from pulmonic stenosis, which is a severe narrowing of blood flow exiting the heart, was successfully operated on at Linnaeus-owned Paragon Veterinary Referrals.

It was the first time the award-winning Wakefield referral centre had performed this surgery on a cat with this condition, after McCoy had been referred by his local vets who noticed his heart was beating unusually and recommended a scan.

Chris Linney, head of cardiology at Paragon and a renowned RCVS and European specialist in small animal cardiology, said: “The pulmonic stenosis was putting a large amount of strain on McCoy’s heart.

“Using minimally invasive, keyhole surgery techniques, we were able to pass a balloon through his heart and relieve the obstruction, improving the flow exiting his heart.

“Follow-up scans show he no longer has severe pulmonic stenosis and his heart is looking healthier and working more easily.

“The outlook for McCoy and living with this condition has gone from guarded to excellent.”

When told of the diagnosis, grateful owner Graham Priestley, said: “We were completely shocked, as we had not noticed there was a problem.

“Then, when the condition went from mild to severe in a matter of six weeks, we thought we had to try to cure him.

“The treatment he had at Paragon was exceptional and we always felt McCoy was in good hands.

“Now he’s had the operation, he seems a lot more active and adventurous. He even followed me when I went for a walk and I didn’t notice him until I was almost 100 metres away from home.”