Naughty kitten makes 'leap of faith' from towering palm tree

A naughty kitten made a 'leap of faith' from a towering palm tree, evading the fire fighters who had climbed up to rescue him.

The rescue mission began yesterday in Panmure, when the fire service was convinced to make their third trip out try and catch the 'little monkey' who had been evading them for weeks.

In a Facebook post, cat rescue organisation the Lonely Miaow said neighbours to the park on Dunkirk Rd had called them after hearing the kitten "crying his heart out" up the tree.

The fire service arrived and got out their big ladders, one on each side of the tree and sent two staff members up to find him.

Startled, the kitten wriggled out of reach of his would-be rescuers.

"There was a fair bit of rustling, and shaking of branches, and finally little naughty made a leap of faith and launched from the top," read the Lonely Miaow post.

"It's true that cats always land on their feet, he was a bit like a flying fox!"

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a naughty kitten jumping to freedom. photo/ Lonely Miaow Facebook

Video of the incident shows the cat soaring to the ground from a great height before landing unhurt and running off as if nothing had happened.

Several firefighters and a Lonely Miaow staff member gave chase as he ran under two fire trucks and across a road before being caught with a fishing net in the corner of a house.

"A huge thank you to The New Zealand Fire Service in particular the Mt Wellington Fire Station and the Ellerslie Fire Station for doing a wonderful job in helping us get this little monkey down," the post read.

The kitten tried to evade capture but was eventually scooped up in a fishing net by a cat rescue staff member. Photo/ Lonely Miaow Facebook

On Twitter, the fire service said they had been trying to catch the kitten for weeks.

Facebook commenters said they ought to call the kitten Dennis, after Beano character Dennis the Menace.

He was being looked after by a Lonely Miaow staff member and was not believed to be owned as he was "covered in fleas and very very skinny".