This is the moment an unlucky black cat crashed through the ceiling during a rainstorm in Thailand.

The hapless pet feline - a harbinger of ill fortune - had been exploring a gap in the broken ceiling, but caused the panels to collapse on the floor of its home in Chiang Mai province on September 29.

Footage shows how the ceiling board was peeled from its frame, sending the terrified moggie plummeting.

The homeowner said: 'I didn't know my cat was playing there, so I was shocked to see it falling when the ceiling collapsed. Luckily, it wasn't hurt.'

Black cats have been associated with superstitions for centuries. In many Western cultures, they are seen as a sign of bad luck. This superstition is thought to have originated in the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church began to associate cats with witchcraft. Black cats were particularly feared, as they were believed to be the familiars of witches.