A family were horrified to find a 17ft python in their living room trying to eat their pet cats.

The couple opened the living room door as the reptile was stretching up to the ceiling in search of an escape route from the home in Nonthaburi, Thailand, on August 5.

Three Scottish Fold kittens, along with seven other cats, were cowering in the corner of the room. None of them were hurt.

Resident Thamonwan Seumsai, 32, said the snake is believed to have entered her property from nearby bushes. She called the emergency services to remove the beast.

Thamonwan said: 'My maid said she had seen the snake around the property earlier in the day. It's very lucky that none of my cats were harmed.

'We had a very big fright when we saw the snake in the room.

Animal rescuers had to drag the python out of the house before placing it inside a sack to be released into nature, far away from residential areas.

Handler Buppha Amphuang, 53, recounted that she received a call around 7am before arriving at the scene and finding the python too large to handle alone.

She had to call for a male colleague to assist with the capture, as she was afraid it would escape back into the ceiling.

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.