Mittens the cat has used up one of his nine lives after power to an overhead 11,000 volt cable was switched off for half an hour while he was rescued from where he was stuck up an electricity pole.

Cambs Times: Engineers from UK Power Networks were called to Straight Road, Manea, after reports Mittens the cat had been up the pole much of the day.Engineers from UK Power Networks were called to Straight Road, Manea, after reports Mittens the cat had been up the pole much of the day. (Image: Archant)

Engineers from UK Power Networks were called to Straight Road in Manea after reports the cat had been up the pole for most of the day.

After making the electricity line safe by switching off the power supply, four men brought him safely back to ground level.

First responder Stuart Twite, engineer Neil Ward and linesmen Matt West and Dave Butcher were able to safely rescue Mittens from a transformer box and return the cat to her delighted owner.

Life-long cat owner Stuart said: “We had to turn off the power to the 11,000-volt overhead line for about half an hour or so in order to rescue the cat safely.

“I have a cat myself – I’ve always had cats. We have to do what we can and the cat owner was very grateful.

“It’s quite rare for cats to get in this situation and in my 24 years in this job, I’ve only ever been to three incidents before this one.”

Members of the public should never attempt to rescue a pet or possession from electricity equipment. They should:

• Call UK Power Networks on 0800 31 63 105 or 105 (free from a landline or mobile) to report a trapped animal or possession.

• If power lines are down or causing a significant risk to the public, call 999 immediately.