Tiny gap the limit for Skye

She may only be small, but Skye the cat caused big problems when she squeezed under the floorboards at her West Midland home.

A fire crew had to be called after the nine-month-old pussycat decided to go exploring around her home in Arlen Drive, Great Barr. Owner Jackie Smart, aged 64, who has seven cats, had to call for help after the pet crawled into a two inch gap.

The retired teacher said: "I opened the door of a cupboard and she must have crawled in.

"I took the dog out, and when I got back all the cats were sitting outside the cupboard, and I heard mewing.

"There is a gap there, but it is only about two inches wide.

"I don't know how she got in, but she was stuck under the floor and could only get a paw out again."

On Tuesday afternoon, a fire crew from West Bromwich was called out to rescue Skye.

Jackie said: "They moved the cooker and made a hole.

"Then she was running under the floor and I thought she would never come out.

"At one point she was under the living room, but finally came out after about two hours. I'd like to say a big thankyou to the fire service."

Crew commander Adam Joyce said: "We had to use a specialist camera on a cable to search for the cat and made a hole in the floor.

"We left it for a couple of hours, but warned that if she didn't come out by herself it would mean pulling up all the floorboards!"

When Jackie first brought Skye home from a rescue centre, she crawled behind fitted wardrobes, which had to be ripped out to reach her.