For 200 years the RSPCA has been there for animals of all shapes and sizes, in all sorts of peculiar situations, 365 days a year.

Whether it’s a fox with a planter stuck on his head, a cat lost in St Paul’s Cathedral, or a fox with her head stuck in a hole; the RSPCA’s team of expert rescuers are on hand to help whenever they can.

RSPCA Chief Inspectorate Officer Steve Bennett said: “For 200 years the RSPCA’s dedicated and passionate team of rescuers have been helping animals in need.

“We’re here for every kind; but with almost 1 million calls for help every year, we can’t do this alone.

“We’re incredibly grateful to all of the animal-loving members of the public who have helped rescue animals themselves, taken them to vets for specialist care, as well as the other agencies who help save the lives of animals in need, from the fire service to the police to small local rescues!

“We will always use our specialist skills to help animals when we can and we’re grateful to other agencies for working with us to help animals in need.

“But there are also lots of ways the public can help animals themselves too; after all, the quicker an animal gets help, the better.

“If we all work together, we can create a kinder and better world for all animals.”

For more advice about how to help an animal yourself or how to report to the RSPCA, visit our website:
www.rspca.org.uk/reportaconcern.

Here, the RSPCA shares some of its most humorous and heartwarming tails from across London in 2024:

Lead the way

An ingenious RSPCA officer came to the rescue of a squirrel who’d got trapped in a courtyard of a block of flats in Hampstead, London. Animal Rescue Officer Jade Guthrie went to Netherhall Gardens on 17 May after a resident spotted the stricken grey squirrel.

Jade said: “The squirrel was fine in himself; he was running and jumping from the trees and foliage that were in the enclosed garden area. But he was trapped and had been there for three days so I was concerned for his long-term welfare, especially as the resident said it had happened before and the squirrel had sadly died.

“The courtyard was sunken to basement level so the area was enclosed with two-storey-high walls on every side and he couldn’t climb out himself so I tied four dog leads together and lowered them down to create a little rope for him to climb out – and within five minutes he did!”

Sweet escape

A little fox cub had a sweet escape when the RSPCA came to his rescue on 28 May – after he got his head stuck in a strawberry planter.

Animal Rescue Officer Sam Matthews was called to a garden in Wandsworth, London, after the inquisitive cub got his head stuck in one of the small openings of the plastic planting pot in a garden.

Sam said: “I thought I was going to need to cut the fox out but thankfully I managed to carefully wiggle him free, one ear at a time. I checked him over and he wasn’t injured so I released him there and then so he could find his way back to the family den.”

Cat stuck between walls

Rescuers from the RSPCA and London Fire Brigade spent three hours working to free a cat who’d become trapped in a tiny gap between two walls in London.

Animal Rescue Officer Jade Guthrie went out to Hebdon Road, Tooting Beck, on 3 June after a member of the public found the cat trapped between the brick walls.

She said: “I realised there was no way I’d be able to reach the cat so I called the fire brigade for assistance. They managed to break a hole into the wall and I reached in and carefully pulled him free.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to the caller who agreed for us to cut a hole in his garage wall so we could free this poor cat, and to the fire brigade for their support in the rescue.”

Buttons the cat was microchipped so was returned to his owner nearby. He’d been stuck for more than five hours and his owners were shocked to hear about his ordeal but were relieved to have him home.

Cat-acombs!

A cat who disappeared into an underground basement at St.Paul’s Cathedral was rescued by the RSPCA. The cat tumbled 15ft down a shaft near to the outer walls of the London landmark and ended up trapped in the dark basement below the cathedral.

Fortunately, a schoolgirl who realised the cat’s predicament after watching her dash through a narrow opening at ground level at St. Paul’s Churchyard contacted the RSPCA and Animal Rescue Officer Sidonie Smith went to help on 2 July.

The cathedral had closed for the day but with the permission of on-site security, and accompanied by a security officer, she climbed down beneath the cathedral to search for the cat.

“When I spoke to security about gaining access it turned out it was an opening down to an old storage basement that apparently no-one has used a key to get down to for 25 years,” Sidonie said.

“Fortunately, the cat had fallen onto a bed of leaves and she was largely unscathed. She’d shot through the gap above and dropped down into the basement.”

The cat – a Burmese – was named Paula by RSPCA staff who took her in.

Cat-erwalling!

Rescuers had to cut through masonry to reach a trapped cat who was stuck between two walls in South London.

A nearby resident heard the cat miaowing and found where the cat had become stuck between two walls in Brixton on 9 September and called for help.

London Fire Brigade used cutting equipment to break through the wall and reach the male cat who was then passed into the arms of RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Yalina Blumer. It’s believe the cat had been stuck for around 10 hours and he was very unsteady on his feet so was taken to RSPCA Finsbury Park Hospital for treatment.

Nicknamed Flint by his rescuers, he’s not microchipped so a search for his owners was launched.

Stuck fast

A fox had a lucky escape after getting his head stuck through a tight gap in a brick wall at a London home.

The surprised owners of the home, in Putney, discovered the injured fox on 25 November stuck through a gap in a wall between two basement floor courtyards.

RSPCA Inspector Jade Guthrie was able to free the fox by gently guiding his head out of the gap, and due to his condition, transported him to Wildlife Aid in Surrey for further treatment.

Jade said: “I imagine he fell into the basement courtyard and was unable to climb out, so poked his head into the gap in the wall looking for somewhere to hide, but found he was unable to get out.”

❄️ Donate £10 and join the Winter Rescue online today rspca.org.uk/jointherescue.