Forget nine lives, one cat appears to have used up a couple of hundred after becoming trapped in the London Underground.
The animal, called Blitz, spent seven hours cowering on the tracks in a tunnel as more than 250 trains passed over his head.
Despite suffering a broken back after being struck by one, he was eventually rescued when Transport for London staff realised there was an unusual trespasser on the line.
“To survive almost seven hours in a tunnel lying on the track and have some 250 trains go over it is nothing short of a miracle,” said Dave Keenan, a customer service manager with TfL.
It is believed Blitz found itself in the perilous situation after squeezing past the ticket barriers at Tufnell Park tube station and making his way down the escalator without being spotted.
He stayed there for seven hours until a member of staff spotted there was something lying between the positive rail and running rail.
Trains were then held up for five minutes while a rescue was performed.
After that, staff were able to locate Blitz’s owner, Mark Piggott, because he was chipped.
Writing on Twitter after being reunited with his pet, Mr Piggott said: “How the f*** did my cat make his way down onto the track at Tufnell Park tube, get hit by a train, have 300 other trains go over the top of him, cause the line to be suspended so they could rescue him after seven hours and live?”
Blitz, who also lost his tail in the incident, is said to now be recovering well.
