Curiosity killed the cat! Tabby TJ becomes trapped in abandoned Bishop Auckland house for a week

Firefighters and staff at the RSPCA rushed to five-year-old TJ’s aid after he became trapped in the property in Brook Street, Bishop Auckland, after it was boarded up.

The tabby and white cat was spotted by a neighbour in an upstairs window last month.

RSPCA inspector Gemma Lynch fed the imprisoned tabby with pouches of cat food through the letterbox before she could gain access to the house.

She said: “The house has been vacant for several years according to the neighbours. There was a smashed window at the back where TJ crawled inside and then it must have been boarded-up whilst he was still inside the house so he was stuck.

“It’s lucky that a neighbour spotted him at the window and called us. I couldn’t gain access to the house right away and we didn’t know who the owner of the property was.”

With the help of firefighters, the rescue team unbolted the boarded-up window and managed to coax TJ back out.

Insp Lynch said the feline was “very scared” but happy to reunited with his owner.

She said: “Thankfully his owner only lived round the corner so when he was told by a neighbour that there was a cat being rescued down the street he soon realised it was his missing cat. He was delighted to be reunited with TJ, as was his other cat. They had both really missed him.”

Insp Lynch said TJ’s owner will now get the intrepid moggy microchipped in case something similar happens again.

Alice Potter, the RSPCA’s cat welfare expert, said: “Microchipping your cat is the most reliable way to identify them and gives you the best chance of being reunited if they become lost.

"If you decide to put a collar and ID tag on your cat it's important to ensure the collar is correctly fitted and is a quick release type collar with a snap-safe buckle - other collars can get caught and cause nasty injuries.”

If you see a cat in distress contact the RSPCA helpline on 0300-1234999. To support the RSPCA visit rspca.org.uk