Cat freed after getting stuck in wall

A cat in Carrickfergus was lucky to keep its nine lives after getting trapped in the wall of a partly-built house.

Francee, the fortunate feline, was found and saved by Campbell Baird, who came to check on construction work at his new home.

He only noticed the unfortunate cat after hearing "meowing" coming from the walls.

"I couldn't believe it at first," said Mr Baird.

He used a drill, chisel and hammer to free Francee before posting a video of the unlikely cat rescue on Facebook in an effort to track down the owner.

The video has since been shared more than 700 times and Francee has been reunited with her owner, a little shocked but uninjured from her ordeal.

According to Mr Baird, the cat got stuck in a tiny cavity space after apparently clambering a ladder to the first floor.

"The only way in would have been from above so she must've climbed up and then got stuck down in between the wall.

"It's fortunate I came up to the house or the cat would not have been found.

"It was a small cavity space in the wall. I was able to pull some of the insulation out and then I got some tools to free her," said Mr Baird.

"I'm just happy I was able to get the cat back home again and everything worked out OK."

He added, with a laugh: "My phone hasn't stopped since I posted the video. But all I wanted was to find the cat's owner and I'm glad I could do that."