Twelve firefighters, a road closure, a water cannon and 30 hours... just to rescue a cat stuck up a tree

Twelve firefighters used water cannon, a hydraulic hoist and sealed off a road for hours - all to rescue a kitten.

They eventually brought 13-week-old Cleo to safety after she had been stuck for 30 hours.

Fire crews were called to a family's house at midday on Saturday in St Helier, Sutton, after the cat was unable to get down from the 50ft tree in their front garden.

The kitten's owner, Zara McIntosh, thanked firefighters and the RSPCA for saving Cleo.

Miss McIntosh, 38, said: "We were doing the gardening on Friday morning when our two cats, Cleo and Figaro, both went up the tree - but Cleo wouldn't come down.

"We tried everything, including coaxing her down with microwaved cat food so she would pick up the smell, but nothing was going to tempt her. Our four-year-old son was really upset.

"The next day firefighters [from Mitcham] came and first tried using a water cannon to scare her into coming down, but that just made the cat go further up the tree. She ended up being at the very top of it."

It was not until firefighters from Wimbledon arrived, with a cherry picker-style hydraulic device, that a fireman was able to remove the cat. Miss McIntosh said she was then advised to put wire mesh around the base of the tree so that Cleo would not be able to get herself into another perilous situation.