Operation underway to rescue cat who's been stuck in roof of Southampton bingo hall for 8 days

An operation is underway to rescue a cat which has become stuck in the roof of a bingo hall in Southampton.

The cat decided to take up shelter in the ceiling of Leo Leisure in Southampton located on the High Street.

Despite laying a trap with food to get it down and calling in the fire service, staff at the centre were unable to entice the cat down.

The Cat Welfare Group were called out and involved in trying to encourage the black cat to

A spokesperson from the Cat Welfare Group said: "Hampshire Fire and Rescue stepped in, because the poor cat is in an impossible place at the moment."

A cage was put in place to try and entice the cat out of the roof. Credit: ITV Meridian

Hampshire Fire and Rescue have been on scene.

It's thought specialist equipment is needed to be able to remove the cat from the roof of the building.

Staff working at the Bingo Hall heard faint 'meowing' and saw a shadow high up in the ceiling in one of the ledges last Friday night. (3 February)

Simon Phillips, manager of Leo Leisure in Southampton High Street said: "We saw a black cat moving, and obviously we were a bit concerned.

"It was quite high up so we thought it won't be able to get down to the floor and set off the alarms and things.

  • Simon Phillips, Manager of Leo Leisure

"We assumed he had just found a place to get in, and he'll just leave.

"But on Sunday evening, staff spotted him again on the ledge on the other side of the room, so we thought maybe he had got locked in by the builders at the weekend and they had gone away and by Monday he would be out again.

"But on Monday evening he was spotted on the light panel, and he lay there all night.

"He didn't seem in distress or bothered.

"If he's not in the trap by Monday, the plan is to put a scaffolding tower up there and put the trap on there as then it will be easier for him to jump onto it."

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was a matter for the RSPCA.

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