Witless William the cat walked right into trouble when he went on one of his usual wanders.

The six-year-old puss managed to get himself covered in filler and fibreglass after strolling into a garage at the back of his home in Highcliffe Drive, Wickford.

He desperately tried to lick himself clean but developed a nasty furball, which lodged in his intestine.

His owner, Mary Simpson, said: "William is a bit of a wanderer and when he came back he got thinner and thinner.

"He was very weak, wasn't eating and looked like he was about to die. He couldn't even stand up."

Mary rushed him to the PDSA veterinary centre in York Road, Southend, where staff worked their magic.

After three days on a drip, black-and-white William was well enough to have an operation and the offending hairball was whipped out.

Mary, who has five other cats, said: "The PDSA did a wonderful job and I'm glad to have William back. He's looking really lovely but he's still wandering off!"

Just William - Mary is delighted that her cat is back to full health

Picture: MAXINE CLARKE

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.