AN UNDERWEIGHT stray kitten almost lost her nine lives after eating a handful of hairbands. 

The tiny cat, who is believed to be around five months old, has been named Hope by staff at Cats Protection’s Birmingham Adoption Centre in Hollywood.

She was taken to the centre in a cardboard box by a member of the public after she was found collapsed in a garden.

Paula Beswick, deputy manager, was at the centre when Hope arrived.

She said: “The poor girl seemed lifeless and nothing more than skin and bones.

“When Hope did try to walk, she was very unsteady.

“We rushed her immediately to the vets who put her straight onto fluid and antibiotic drips.”

After various investigations, an ultrasound revealed a mass in Hope’s intestines.

"With her liver beginning to shut down, Hope was too weak to survive an operation to remove the mass, or even have much blood taken, and it was unclear whether she would survive.

Luckily, after five days of intensive nursing Hope was strong enough to have the operation and 21 hairbands were removed from her intestine.

Paula added: “Hope must be a little fighter as she pulled through after the bands were removed.

“She has been through such a lot in her young life already. We don’t know how the hairbands got there.

“We can only imagine that somebody was playing with her and using the hairbands as a toy which she was mistakenly swallowing or eating them because she was so hungry.

“Blood tests have shown that all her organs are now working well.

“We are quietly confident that she will make a full recovery.”

As no microchip or evidence of an owner could be found, once Hope has fully recovered her details will be posted on the centre’s website, www.cats.org.uk/birmingham, and she will be found a loving home.