A stray kitten with its chest pierced by a harpoon was rescued by a kind school teacher in Thailand.

The hapless male feline was found by teacher Suchada Paksa, 24, outside her classroom in Kanchanaburi province on August 3.

One of her students had told her about the cat, which they discovered lying motionless on the ground.

Suchada approached it and initially thought it was resting on top of a twig, but was horrified when she saw the harpoon sticking out of its chest.

She rushed the injured animal to the vet, where it underwent an x-ray examination. The scans showed that the sharp metal had penetrated deep into its body, necessitating emergency surgery.

Suchada said: ‘I was told that the cat needed surgery immediately as he had been stuck with the harpoon for days. I wonder who could be so cruel to do this to a helpless cat.'

Thanks to the teacher's quick response, the kitten is now safe from danger and is recovering at the vet.

Footage shows the animal finally regaining consciousness and greeting its rescuer with weak meows.

Suchada said she has decided to adopt the stray, which she named 'Meebun'.