Whangārei cop rescues hungry cat after getting its head stuck in a can

The cat was struggling to breathe before Sergeant Paul Nicholas was able to cut the end of the can off. Photo / NZ Police

A Whangārei policeman has come to the rescue of a desperate hungry cat after it got its head stuck in a can of food.

Sergeant Paul Nicholas was out in the community when he discovered the near-catatonic feline on a street in Kamo.

Nicholas had found the curious cat in Kamo reaching for the last scraps of food in the tin.

But he quickly realised the situation was serious and swung into action.

"While it looked quite comical, I realised it was fairly serious," Nicholas says.

"Asking at the house where the cat was found provided no assistance. So, living nearby, I took the cat home to try to cut the tin from its head."

The cat was struggling to breathe before Sergeant Paul Nicholas was able to cut the end of the can off. Photo / NZ Police

Sergeant Paul Nicholas and SPCA area manager Margaret Rawiri with the rescued cat, whose name might soon be Tintin. Photo / NZ Police

After taking a closer look he realised the cat was virtually lifeless due to a lack of oxygen in the can.

He punctured the can with tin snips to give the cat some air before taking it to the vets to remove the tin.

"Once the end of the tin was removed, I tried to cut the tin off the cat's head but erred on the side of caution and transported it to Kamo vets for expert removal of the tin, and not the cat's ears."

Fully recovered after its ordeal, but possibly grumpy at the thought of any scraps left behind. Photo / NZ Police

Nicholas handed the incident purr-fectly, with the hungry cat making a full recovery.

It will be put up for adoption by the Whangārei SPCA, police say.

Tinny, Tintin and King Arthur are among the favourite names for the lucky cat.