'Very soggy moggy' rescued after falling in canal

A "very soggy moggy" was rescued after falling in a canal on a nighttime misadventure in Leeds.

Ronnie the cat was found stranded in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on Sunday morning near his home in Leeds and was rescued by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Rescuers used a "water rescue sled" to fetch Ronnie, with Bradford Cat Watch Rescue and Sanctuary later scanning his microchip and reuniting him with his owners.

Katie Lloyd, a volunteer for the charity, said Ronnie's adventures had been quite a shock to his owners.

"When they got the call from me they were really shocked and quite upset, I told them he was absolutely fine," she said.

Lloyd said she was called by the fire service at about 10:00 BST on Sunday.

"It was a very wet and soggy moggy," she said.

His owners had joked that the fire engine at the end of their lane might have had something to do with Ronnie's failure to return home the night before.

"They saw the fire engine at the end of their lane, which is where the canal is," Lloyd said.

"They sort of made a joke and said, 'oh, Ronnie's not in the canal', and they carried on with their morning."

She added: "Because the cat had a microchip with up-to-date details we were able to reunite the cat with the owners within about an hour."

The fire service said: "We regularly train for water rescue incidents like this, so it was great to put those skills into practice."

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