FIRE crews were not a-miaow-sed when a cat prompted a false alarm at an ironmongers.

Uplands moggy Catti loves to snuggle up in a tiny hole in the shop wall and watch the world go by.

But a student on the way back home from the pub saw the cat's eyes peeking out of the crevice and thought the hapless pet was stuck.

After a 999 call, one crew from Sketty were sent out and were moments away from break-ing down a door - until a neighbour explained Catti's unusual cubby-hole.

The feline's owner, Clive Hallifax, who runs Uplands Ironmongers, feels lucky the entrance to his shop is still intact.

He said: "I've had Catti for just over a year, she was a stray cat who just walked through the door one day and has stayed ever since.

"She stays in the shop at night and guards it.

"She also catches mice.

"There's a small hole where an air-brick used to be, and Catti often sits in there and just likes to watch the world go by."

But it seems the moggy's presence there caused quite a bit of concern.

Mr Hallifax, aged 58, added: "I opened up the shop the next morning, and my neighbour told me I was lucky my door hadn't been bashed in, because an American student called the fire service after he thought Catti was trapped."

After realising the cat wasn't stuck after all, firefighters headed off into the night - with Catti oblivious to the fuss she had caused.

A spokesman for Mid West and Wales Fire Service said: "One crew from Sketty attended an incident in Bernard Street on Friday, August 21, following reports of a cat being trapped.

"The animal was discovered to be safe and well, and firefighters shortly returned to the station."

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