A stray cat was rescued after it was found with its head stuck in a metal drain cover.

The hapless moggie was running away from barking guard dogs when it fell and was caught in the hole in Tak province, Thailand on February 9.

Its body easily fitted into the drain cover but its head was too big for the hole. Residents who saw the cat tried pulling it out but the frightened two-year-old feline would try to bite them.

Firefighters were then called in the area to help and they calmed the stray first before slathering oil on its body so it would slip out easily.

A villager said: ‘We heard big dogs fighting and barking outside. After a few hours, we then heard the cat crying loudly. We tried taking it out but it was resisting.'

One of the rescue team members talked to the cat in a calming tone saying 'we are trying to help you, don't bite,' while his colleagues pulled the cover up'.

After half an hour, the cat was taken out from the drain. It was uninjured and given food before firefighters took it back with them to the fire station to take care of.