A terrified kitten has been rescued after becoming trapped 50ft up a castle wall.

The trapped male, black-and-white cat was seen thrashing around in foliage high up on Pembroke Castle's wall on Tuesday.

He had become trapped on a bank and was entangled in barbed wire.

The kitten is thought to be just three months old and has been nicknamed Henry - after King Henry VII, who was born at the West Wales castle.

RSPCA animal collection officer Ellie West attended the scene to assess the cat's situation and contacted the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service who used rope lines to rescue, free and bring the scared kitten to safety.

Ms West said: "It really was a horrible ordeal for the kitten.

"It was just by chance someone saw the kitten struggling on the wall. The poor little thing was so frightened. We don't know how he got there.

"The fire service were absolutely brilliant. They had a safety line and went over the wall down about eight foot and rescued the kitten.

"I took him straight to the vets where he was given antibiotics and pain relief and he is very sore and bruised and he has torn a bit of his skin on his thigh which should heal. But he is doing really well and is now recovering from his ordeal in our care.

"He's eaten well overnight which is good as he's actually a little skinny under all that fur.

"We think he may be a stray cat, but we are still appealing for information just in case he has an owner out there who is frantically looking for him, although he didn't have a microchip or collar."

Pembroke Castle manager Jon Williams said he was very grateful to the RSPCA and fire service for their assistance.

"I would like to thank the RSPCA for responding so quickly and also to the local fire brigade who came out and climbed over the wall to rescue the kitten safely," he said.

"I don't think anything has ever happened like this at the castle before."

If an owner is not found, the kitten will be rehomed in the near future.

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