Migration of a sewing needle foreign body into the brainstem of a cat

A 1-year-old, female spayed domestic shorthair cat with a 6 week history of upper respiratory signs and a progressive reluctance to move, which culminated in a right-sided hemiparesis, was found to have a sewing needle foreign body lodged in the brainstem. Surgical extraction of the needle was successful and the cat's neurological deficits resolved over the days to weeks following its removal.

This case report describes, to our knowledge, the first reported incidence and management of an ingested sewing needle migrating into the central nervous system of a cat.