A CAT from Skipton is breathing a sigh of relief thanks to an innovative life-saving procedure costing £4,000.

Alan, a ten-year-old Burmese cat who lives with his owner Ian Mills, of Skipton, was sent for urgent treatment when a collapsed windpipe severely restricted his breathing.

The much-loved moggy was sent as an emergency to Dick White Referrals, a specialist veterinary centre just outside Cambridge, because he was having breathing difficulties, believed to be caused by an obstructed trachea.

His local vet, Bob Pettit from the Kingsway Veterinary Group in Skipton, recognised the urgency of the situation.

Not only was Alan having difficulties breathing, it was anticipated his condition would become life-threatening without a rapid diagnosis and therapy.

Specialists at Dick White Referrals officially diagnosed Alan with tracheal stenosis, a narrowing of the windpipe.

They said one particular section of his windpipe had shrunk to only two millimetres in diameter, dramatically reducing airflow to his lungs.

Until recently, major surgery would have been required to rectify this condition.

However, due to a technique used in human medicine for some time, but fairly recently applied in the veterinary field, a relatively non-invasive approach using imaging techniques was deemed possible.

In Alan’s case, a mechanically woven stent – a wire mesh tube made of a ‘memory-metal’ alloy – was placed and expanded in the windpipe at the site of the narrowing, immediately opening it up.

Jon Wray, the specialist who performed the procedure, said: “The trickiest part, and the time of greatest jeopardy for Alan, was the moment we had to pass the catheter through this very narrow gap in his windpipe.

"Not only was the tiny hole, surrounded by scarring, very difficult to manoeuvre, but the windpipe had narrowed to the same size as the collapsed stent. Therefore, as soon as it was in place and until the stent was opened, we were completely blocking the airway.”

Almost immediately, Mr Wray was able to tell the procedure had been successful and that Alan should suffer no further problems relating to his condition. Alan might have lost one of his nine lives, but he has recovered well.

Mr Mills was delighted with the outcome, and said: “We are so glad we were referred to a centre able to offer this technique.

"It cost about £4,000 but, given the expertise and equipment used and the outcome achieved, we feel it was money very well spent. We are delighted to have Alan back home with us.”