A large python is forced to spit out a pet cat after it was found hiding next to a warehouse.

The 10ft long African Rock Python was spotted by workers after it slithered under wooden crates at the building in upmarket Richards Bay, South Africa, on April 2.

Fire officers arrived to catch the snake and noticed the huge bulge in its stomach and dragged it onto the ground to make it regurgitate the creature.

Stomach-churning footage shows the slime-covered cat emerging from the python's mouth as firemen use huge anti-bite gloves to prevent it from lashing out at them.

Onlooker Vincent Harris said the snake had already eaten the cat but after it was moved from its hiding place it started to release the dead animal.

He added: ''Everybody was sure it was a python which is not venomous but you can never be too careful so the fire crew were called.

''This was a big one. I think the cat belonged to somebody in the neighbourhood in the neighbourhood. It was well-fed so unlikely to be a stray. Somebody will have been missing their pet sadly.''

The cat didn't survive but the python was checked over by local vets before being released back into the wilderness several miles away.

The Kwazulu Natal Fire Protection Association confirmed the incident and warned that snakes and other predators are a risk to cats.

They said: ''The team were called after reports of a snake. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do the save the cat at that point.''

A large python is forced to spit out a pet cat after it was found hiding next to a warehouse.

The 10ft long African Rock Python was spotted by workers after it slithered under wooden crates at the building in upmarket Richards Bay, South Africa, on April 2.

Fire officers arrived to catch the snake and noticed the huge bulge in its stomach and dragged it onto the ground to make it regurgitate the creature.

Stomach-churning footage shows the slime-covered cat emerging from the python's mouth as firemen use huge anti-bite gloves to prevent it from lashing out at them.

Onlooker Vincent Harris said the snake had already eaten the cat but after it was moved from its hiding place it started to release the dead animal.

He added: ''Everybody was sure it was a python which is not venomous but you can never be too careful so the fire crew were called.

''This was a big one. I think the cat belonged to somebody in the neighbourhood in the neighbourhood. It was well-fed so unlikely to be a stray. Somebody will have been missing their pet sadly.''

The cat didn't survive but the python was checked over by local vets before being released back into the wilderness several miles away.

The Kwazulu Natal Fire Protection Association confirmed the incident and warned that snakes and other predators are a risk to cats.

They said: ''The team were called after reports of a snake. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do the save the cat at that point.''