A huge 12ft python that ate a pet cat was caught in storeroom in Thailand.

The serpent devoured the homeowner's pet feline, then slithered into a storage area where coconut shells were being kept in Chai Nat province on May 1.

The resident found the snake, its belly bulging from its last meal, nestled between sacks of coconut husks, and called firefighters for help.

Footage shows the officers hauling the python out of the storage area.

In a last-ditch attempt to escape, the reptile musked the snake wranglers with urine and feces. It was sealed inside a sack to be freed into the forest.

The homeowner said his cat had been missing for around three days before he discovered the python on his property.

He said: 'A patch of forest nearby was recently cleared. The python likely fled here because it lost its home.'

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.