Snake catchers removed a massive python that ate a pet cat and then became stuck in a drain.

Volunteers were called to a family's house, where the huge 13ft-long serpent was discovered obstructing the drainage in Ayutthaya province on April 25.

They hammered a hole in the pavement and dragged the snake out onto the street. Its belly was swollen from eating a cat in the neighbourhood.

The family's neighbour Kamol Kamonphan, 44, said he discovered the python after he was asked to check the drain because the water was not flowing.

He said: 'At first, I thought that the drain had a lot of garbage so I went to remove the blockage. However, when I opened it, I was shocked to see a large snake. I called the Ayutthaya rescue team to help remove the snake.'

The homeowner, Sunanta, added: 'I asked that the python be removed because I felt pity for it. It would have died if it stayed there. We were lucky that it was stuck in the drain and could not enter our house.

'We often see cobras and pythons in this area, but none as large as this one.'

The python was later released uninjured into its natural habitat.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.