UNLUCKY black cat Pheobe created some really bad kharma for owners David and Kate Mallender just as they were leaving for a fancy dress Christmas party.

For the hippy-style couple - resplendent in wigs, flares and platform shoes - were hardly clad in the ideal apparel to mount a delicate pet rescue after the inquisitive feline became stuck behind their son's fitted wardrobe.

The Mallenders were off to a 70's style fancy dress party when they heard Pheobe's distressed miaowing and had to resort to using an electric saw to free her. Unable to climb out of the gap between the wall and the rear of the cupboard, Pheobe couldn't be reached from on top of the furniture.

With big hair and even larger sunglasses, Mrs Mallender tried but found her arms too short for the task.

As a result, resplendent in wig, flares and platform shoes, Mr Mallender was forced to retrieve tools from the garage and begin sawing his way through the rear of the wardrobe.

''It all started just as we were ready to leave,'' said Mr Mallender, of Stamford bridge, near York.

''We were calling Pheobe so we could leave her in the kitchen where she would be safe but could only hear her miaowing in response.

''The noise was coming from our son Max's room, which was empty as he was staying with family, but it took us a little while to work out where Pheobe was.

''We tried everything to reach her but, in the end, I had to fetch an electric saw. Kate climbed on top of the wardrobe to direct me to ensure I didn't hurt Pheobe and I followed her instructions. Thinking about it now, we must have looked a sight.''

The couple still made it to the party, albeit a little late and with a tale to tell, while Pheobe is free and none the worse for her ordeal.

However, Max's wardrobe is now one of the few in the country to boast its very own cat flap.