Cat gets head stuck in wheel

A cat who poked its head into the wheel of a car needed to be cut out by firefighters after becoming stuck.

Cat named Casper was trapped for an hour with only his head peeping through the tiny hole in the middle of the alloy if a wheel before he was spotted by passers-by.

They contacted the RSPCA who took the tyre and cat to a nearby fire station. Firfighters spent an hour using specialist small cutting gear to free him.

"We've seen lots of unusual cases but this was certainly a new one for us," said Watchmanager James Fawcett, from Bury St Edmunds fire station, Suffolk.

"The poor cat wasn't very happy and kept trying to bite and scratch which made it very difficult for us. We had to use cutting equipment to chip away at the wheel and it took the best part of an hour.

"We made a special plastic guard to fit between his head and the cutters to protect him. The cat was fine afterwards although his skin was a bit raw around his neck."

The Siamese, who was a stray, was taken to a local vets to be checked over and is now being cared for by a member of the RSPCA.

"The cat was very lucky to be rescued and it's great that we were contacted about him," said a spokesman for the RSPCA.

"He is absolutely fine now. He's staying with one of our officers until an owner can be found."