A cat was rescued by firefighters after falling 100ft down a mineshaft near his home, thanks to his “good mate” – a springer spaniel.
Mowgli went missing on October 20 and after days of searching, owner Michele Rose, who is based in south-east Cornwall, began losing hope.
Mrs Rose’s son, Hamish, told the PA news agency that he was away at university at the time the cat went missing, and was alerted about the disappearance through a phone call from his mother.
“Mum gave me a phone call warning me that Mowgli had gone missing and she was not holding out much hope as she has been going out all day searching with Daisy (the family’s dog),” the 24-year-old, who is studying veterinary medicine at university, said.
On October 25, however, Mr Rose received a more promising call.
“Mum called to say she had found Mowgli and he was stuck down a mineshaft,” he said.
Mrs Rose was alerted to Mowgli’s whereabouts thanks to the family’s dog – Daisy – a springer spaniel they got in June 2021.
Mr Rose said Daisy kept “running back and forth” between the mineshaft and Mrs Rose to alert her to the fact that Mowgli was there as she had heard the cat meowing.
“Daisy and Mowgli are pretty good mates so she could probably tell he was down there,” Mr Rose said.
“Near our house there are lots of old mineshafts and behind our field there is one, and Mowgli would have just been wandering around as he is still quite young.
“I don’t know how, but he had wandered down and fallen about 100ft down this mineshaft.”
A team from the RSPCA and Cornwall Fire and Rescue came over in the morning of October 26 to conduct the rescue with ropes and a cat cage, since it was too dark to carry it out the previous day.
“Remarkably, (Mowgli) was absolutely fine,” Mr Rose said.
“We rushed him to the vet’s after, who gave him a good check over.”
He added: “If Daisy wasn’t the favourite child already, she definitely is now.”
After spending time stuck in a mineshaft, Mowgli was treated to “lots of cuddles on the sofa with mum” and “lots of chicken, with his favourite treat”.
As for Daisy, the heroic springer spaniel was also treated to chicken and dog treats.
Mrs Rose adopted Mowgli in December 2022, alongside Baloo, who was a rescue kitten at the time.