Staff at Bradford’s PDSA PetAid hospital have performed more than 5,100 operations this year – including some rather unusual ones.

Admissions to the animal charity’s centre in East Bowling included a cat which had chewed and swallowed part of a cassette tape, causing some of the ribbon to become trapped in its digestive system.

Vets also saved the life of a young puppy, performing emergency surgery to remove a blockage in its oesophagus, and fitted a metal cage around a rabbit’s broken leg so the bone could heal.

More common surgical procedures carried out at the hospital include spaying dogs – removing their womb and ovaries – to treat pyometra, a life-threatening infection.

Elsewhere in the country the charity’s vets treated a four-year-old Collie who survived after falling 200ft from a cliff, a Labrador who nearly choked to death after accidentally swallowing another dog’s ball in a park and a cat that had been shot in the head with an airgun.

PDSA senior veterinary surgeon Sean Wensley said: “Pets can be remarkably resilient and some of our patients this year have survived terrifying ordeals. It’s testament to the great work of our veterinary teams and the animals’ often extraordinary capacity for healing.

“Without PDSA’s help many owners would be unable to afford veterinary treatment for their much-loved companions. Our work is vitally important to the pets and their owners that rely on our services.”

The charity, which has treated around 400,000 pets in 2010, has seen a 50 per cent increase in patients in the last five years.

It is also urging people not to buy animals during the festive season after it received around 830 calls reporting abandoned pets in January last year.

Mr Wensley said: “The novelty of a pet as a surprise gift may be exciting, but pets live for years and they need time, money and commitment.

“Thinking, feeling creatures should not be passed about as gifts, with little concern for their well-being.”