A cat with an adorable heart-shaped mark in his fur is now a tri-paw kitty after losing a leg - but he's never let it stop him exploring and he can still scale a six-foot fence.

Smooch, 10, was rescued by Cathrine Garnell, 53, from Nottinghamshire, after he was found as a feral kitten in her mum’s garden, along with his mum and five siblings.

Initially, the kittens made themselves at home under the family’s shed, but cat-lover Cathrine was not satisfied with their accommodation and set out to transform it into a cat house.

Cathrine told Jam Press: “After I began to feed them, I was slowly able to gain their trust over time.

“This enabled me to move them into the shed, where I made them all little cat houses complete with comfy beds, to try and provide them with the best possible cat life.

“Once they were all old enough, I was able to take them to our local veterinary clinic and have them all neutered.”

At just one-and-a-half years old tragedy struck and Smooch lost his left back leg after being hit by a car while venturing across a nearby busy main road.

Cathrine said: “Unfortunately, his back leg was so badly damaged, the vets were unable to save it and it had to be amputated. He is now tri-pawed.

“After his surgery, I took him back to my mum's house for a few weeks where we kept him inside.

“I knew once he was fully healed and able to roam free again, there was a strong likelihood he would try and cross the busy main road again. I feared next time he may not be so fortunate.”

Eventually, the thought of Smooch getting hurt again was too much for Cathrine to bear and it was decided that he would move into Cathrine and her husband’s home in a quiet village to join her five former shelter cats.

It was only then that she noticed his unusual markings, a heart on his lower back.

Cathrine added: “I didn’t notice the cute little heart on his side for quite a while, it wasn’t until one night when he was sitting a certain way that I noticed for the very first time.

“When he is standing it looks like a figure eight or an infinity sign. I was amazed, seeing his little heart appear was so adorable.

“Smooch is such a cute little cat, and he really lives up to his name. He adores cuddles, ear scratches, and is extremely affectionate.”

Cathrine currently has five other cats - 19-year-old Amber, Parsley, Fudge, Pandora and Melvyn.

The owner is a writer and a blogger, updating the world on her cats, which she has nicknamed ‘The B Team’ on her blog www.britishmoggies.com and her Instagram @bionicbasil.

Once a year Cathrine releases a 'fictional adventure story' featuring her beloved pets, she's currently working to turn these stories into a book.

Despite only having three legs Smooch has made a name for himself as an escape artist, scaling Cathrine’s six-foot fence to visit her uncle's kittens next door.

The spoiled kitty is partial to a slice of chicken from the Sunday lunch, turkey and even prawns for his dinner, but has never let out a single purr.

Cathrine said: “He never has quite mastered the art of true purring, instead he has his own version where he makes an odd deep rumbly, heavy breathing sound which he’s been purrfecting over the years!”