It has long been a joke the number of times firefighters are called out to rescue cats stuck up trees - but figures do in fact show it is one of the most common forms of animal rescue by the fire service.

Since 2011, London Fire Brigade has been called to rescue cats from trees in west London on 47 occasions.

And across the UK, firefighters have been called to the aid of cats in trees some 1,181 times.

Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request show since 2010, firefighters in west London have rescued animals from dangerous situations a total of 658 times.

'Boris Johnson' was rescued after getting stuck in the garden fence in Twickenham

It appears cats are not the only animals in need though - these rescues include everything from a parrot stuck in golf netting to a ferret in a kitchen.

In 2016, the brigade witnessed the highest number of animal call outs since 2012, completing 137 rescues.

Billy the cat was found trapped in a 15cm wide gap on January 17

In west London, cats come out on top as the most likely animal to need rescuing, with 64 recorded incidents in 2016, birds come in second with 38 incidents and dogs needed rescuing a total of 18 times last year.

Slightly more unusual rescues include a parrot trapped in golf netting in Chiswick Homefields in November 2011 and a ferret trapped behind a kitchen unit in Brompton during the summer of the same year.

Outfoxed: London Fire Brigade rescued a fox cub that had a bit of trouble earlier this year
London Fire Brigade rescued a fox cub that had a bit of trouble in 2015

In 2016 alone, the fire service estimates the cost of dealing with the incidents at £53,464.

London Fire Brigade urge members of the public to first call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 if they spot an animal in danger.

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