Bridge cat 'stuck' for six days walks home after failed rescue

A pet cat that was “stuck” on a railway bridge for six days, sparking a major rescue operation, has walked home.

BBC News reports that five-year-old Hatty got trapped on the 30 ft (9 m) section of the Royal Albert Bridge, which connects Plymouth and Saltash, on Friday 12th July.

Firefighters spent hours trying to rescue her while Network Rail planned to close the line to help save her.

Owner Kirsty Howden told Plymouth Live she was “shocked and elated” Hatty had returned home on Wednesday night.

Ms Howden, 39, said the mischievous moggy wandered back home from the bridge – 500 ft (152 m) away – at about 23:00 BST.

The mother-of-three said she was just about to join a second rescue attempt when she “heard a miaow outside”. “She is a bit skinny and smelly, very vocal and has now headed upstairs and put herself to bed,” Ms Howden said.

The cat had been missing for two weeks.

The Royal Albert Bridge carries the main line in and out of Cornwall across the River Tamar.

It is thought Hatty was scared on to her precarious perch beneath the line by a passing train.

Firefighters hacked away undergrowth to bring in one of their biggest ladders and offered a selection of treats to try to lure her out.

But nothing worked and the rescue was called off – until Hatty somehow escaped by herself hours later.

(Story source: BBC News)