Cat rescued by RSPCA after breaking into prison
A cat which broke into a prison has been rescued after getting trapped on a 25-foot fence.
Padfoot, a short-haired black and white cat, found himself stuck on the security perimeter at HMP Haverigg on the west coast of Cumbria shortly before Christmas.
The RSPCA were called to assisted the feline, which it said was "very scared" by its ordeal.
Martyn Fletcher, an inspector for the charity, said: "I have no idea how he managed to get so far inside the prison and so high up the fence. He was able to move precariously on the top of the fence but this meant walking on razor wire.
"He nearly fell three times but managed to grasp the wire and pull himself to safety."
He continued: "The poor cat was very scared and reluctant to be rescued. It took a lot of patience, some ladders and a reach and rescue pole to be able to bring him to safety.
"He’s such a lovely cat, I didn’t want to put him into a cattery over Christmas and New Year so I took him home with me where he could chill out for the festivities but luckily the owners made contact the next day after hearing what had happened from their neighbours."
After being rescued he was taken to a vet, where he was treated for minor injuries.
It's not the first time Padfoot has gone an adventure, his owner, Angela Driver Swales, said: "He’d been missing for about four or five days but he’s done this before.
"He will go but he always comes back so it wasn’t until one of our neighbours told us about the rescue that we thought it might be Padfoot."
The cat has become a local celebrity in the small Cumbrian town after the rescue.
"He’s now become a bit famous, there have been lots of jokes about him breaking into the prison, as you can imagine!" Mrs Driver Swales added.