NEIGHBOURS came to the rescue of a terrified young cat which was trapped for 24 hours on the ridge of the roof of a house in Chestnut Way, Alcombe, last week.
Coco, a nine-month-old female cat belonging to the Slader family in nearby Staunton Road, went missing at lunchtime on Wednesday and was discovered on Thursday morniing high on the roof of 11 Chestnut Way by Rhonda Sexton, who lives opposite.
“The cat was very distressed,” she said. “I called out some of the neighbours and we rang the fire brigade who were busy and the RSPCA who said to call later if the cat hadn’t climbed down.
“We were determined to do something for the poor creature and hunted around for a long-enough ladder. I would have gone up on the roof myself if we had found one.
“Eventually we asked some builders working down the road if we could borrow a ladder and they insisted on coming to help.”
After more than 24 hours, Coco’s ordeal finally ended when Peter Dinklage, of Coastal Building Services, Minehead, scaled the roof and brought the cat down wrapped in his jumper.
After a meal of sardines provided by next-door neighbour Gwen Curgenven, Coco was delivered back to Michael and Beryl Slader and their children, Millie and Jackson.
Mr Slader said he believed something must have chased Coco onto the roof, but she seemed none the worse for her night on the tiles.