His owners Steve Digby and Francine Lace, from Wythenshawe, thought the pendant and chain had been lost after searching for it without success. But they finally turned their suspicions on five-year-old Oliver. Francine, 44, took their pet to an RSPCA hospital in Salford and an X-ray revealed that the pendant and chain, which is 24-inches long and features diamonds and opals, was in his stomach.
Vets at the Eccles New Road hospital waited to see if nature would take its course, but when the necklace got stuck, they were forced to remove it surgically. The operation was a success and Oliver is now recovering at home with Steve, Francine and their four other rescue cats. Steve, 51, said: “You don’t want to get in the way of Oliver when he’s eating. He’s quite a large cat, and quite ferocious when he eats the treat sticks.
“His treats were down on the coffee table in the lounge. When my fiancee Francine came back into the lounge the treat sticks had gone, and so had the pendant. She searched high and low, all over the house, but couldn’t find it. When I got home I looked again, and in the end we came to the conclusion the cat’s eaten it.” The necklace, which was a birthday present from Steve to his fiancee, has now been returned to Francine – after a thorough cleaning.