Cat-astrophy averted: Kaitāia police to the rescue of furry felon

A cat burglar? Er, no. This police callout was triggered by a cat with a teapot stuck on its head. Photo / Northland police

A cat-astrophy has been averted by police responding to an emergency call about a cat burglar on the prowl outside a Northland home.

Kaitāia police were called about 10.45pm on Sunday by a fearful resident reporting a loud banging and clanging outside a window.

A police spokesman said the sound was coming from a fully enclosed patio, suggesting an attempted burglary was underway.

Fearing the worst, two officers sped to the Davis St address — only to find a ginger cat with its head wedged firmly inside a teapot.

Further enquiries revealed curiosity had got the better of the cat, which had been investigating an aluminium teapot used to water outdoor plants.

Without paws to consider their own safety, the officer caught the furry felon and freed it from the confines of the teapot.

The moggy then scampered off into the night without so much as a mew of thanks.

It’s not the first time Northland’s emergency services have been called upon to carry out an unusual rescue.

In January, Kerikeri Fire Brigade rescued a girl who had got stuck inside a giant bronze sea shell, part of a sculpture by a renowned Northland artist, at Kerikeri Domain.

She was eventually freed with “a bit of Kiwi know-how”, the town’s fire chief said.

In December 2022 Whangārei and Kamo firefighters, council staff, contractors, neighbours and business owners banded together to rescue a tiny kitten stuck in a stormwater drain on Spedding Rd for more than 48 hours.

Years earlier, in 2012 to be precise, Kaitāia police stumbled upon what they first took to be a ferret acting furtively on an Awanui roadside.

It turned out to be a Siamese cat that was disorientated, possibly because it had a plastic peanut butter jar stuck on its head.

The officer removed the jar without injury to either party, and the puss was last seen fleeing north as fast as its legs would carry it.