Trying to reach the last scraps of food in a can proved near fatal for one Whang¨¡rei moggy when it got its head stuck inside.
But thanks to animal lover Sergeant Paul Nicholas, who is excellent at cat-ching criminals, the cat was rescued from its very tricky situation.
The drama, which falls into an unusual cat-egory of policing, began when Paul discovered the near catatonic animal on Charles St in Kamo.
¡°While it looked quite comical, I realised it was fairly serious,¡± Paul says.
¡°Asking at the house where the cat was found provided no assistance. So, living nearby, I took the cat home to try to cut the tin from its head.¡±
The cat was virtually lifeless due to a lack of oxygen in the can but once the can was punctured with tin snips the air rushed in and the cat quickly revived.
¡°Once the end of the tin was removed, I tried to cut the tin off the cat¡¯s head but erred on the side of caution and transported it to Kamo vets for expert removal of the tin, and not the cat¡¯s ears.¡±
The incident was handled purr-fectly. The cat has made a full recovery and will be put up for adoption by Whang¨¡rei SPCA, where debate rages about a possible name - Tinny, Tintin and King Arthur are among the favourites.