A stray cat escaped death by a whisker after getting his head stuck in a tin of pet food.

The cat's curiosity almost got the better of him when he was spotted stumbling along Elm Drive, Hove, with his head wedged firmly inside the can.

A worried neighbour called the RSPCA when she realised the cat was having trouble breathing.

Steve Wickham, an animal collection officer with the charity, found the petrified puss cowering under a car.

He took him to Hove fire station where officers carefully drilled breathing holes before gently cutting away the tin.

Now the one-year-old moggy has been nick-named Tin Tin, and RSPCA officers hope to find him a safe home when he has recovered from his ordeal.

Tin Tin was taken to Coastway Veterinary Surgery in Montague Place, Brighton, where he is being cared for.

A spokeswoman said: "He had a cut on his foot where he tried to get the tin off his head. We have put a stitch in the cut but apart from that he is fine.

"He is almost completely feral and has been living outside so we think he is almost certainly a stray.

"If nobody claims him, the RSPCA will try to find him a new home on a farm where he can continue to live outside."