Hero residents saved their pet cat when they found it being strangled by a wild python that slithered into their garden.

The residents heard their one-year-old feline named Oun crying and found it in the back of their home being crushed by the reptile in Nonthaburi province, Thailand.

Footage shows Maithong Nilachet holding a stick with her companion and using it to scare the serpent so it would free their moggy.

Maithong threw a plant pot at the snake, which loosened its grip. Oun fled, squeezing through the gap in the fence to escape.

The resident said: ‘The snake was so big. It was ready to swallow my cat. I was so scared. I called people in the house to help me and we succeeded. Our Oun was safe.'

The cat was unhurt and the reptile was later evacuated from the property and returned to the forest.

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.