A cat-astrophe was avoided yesterday after a pet cat got stuck at the top of a utility pole.

A full-scale rescue operation that involved the SPCA and a cherry-picker from power firm Belco was launched after a sharp-eyed schoolgirl spotted the stranded cat.

Shayla Pacheco, 11, said she was at the Lost in the Triangle restaurant in Warwick around lunchtime with her mother, the restaurant’s manager, when she saw black-and-white Sweet Pea in trouble near the top of the almost 30ft pole.

She added that she alerted staff at the South Road restaurant and tried to lure the cat down by calling to her, but failed.

Shayla, from Sandys, said: “I asked for water to see if I could tempt it to come down, but the cat just stayed there and started meowing and looking at me.

“It looked really scared.”

Shayla added that Sweet Pea landed with a “thump” after she dodged the rescue effort and ran through the yard of a home on nearby Dunscombe Road.

She added: “I feel worried for the cat because I think that the cat got hurt.

“I feel like the owner is worried about the cat too because the owner doesn’t know where the cat is.”

Shallan Dennis, an SPCA inspector, said the cat, Sweet Pea, jumped from the top of the pole and ran off into bushes before she could be rescued by Belco staff.

Ms Dennis added: “I spoke with the owner and explained where her cat had been and that she was down but had run off.”

“I expect once Sweet Pea relaxes from her ordeal she will return home.

“I will check on Sweet Pea tomorrow to see if she’s home.”

Ms Dennis said that Sweet Pea may not have been injured by the leap, but that cats could “hide their pain very well”.

She added: “She took off like nothing was wrong, but I’ve had a cat with paralysed hind legs manage to climb up a tree to get away from me.

“That’s why I want to check on her to see if she returned.

“She did fall on grass as opposed to concrete, so hopefully she’s fine.”

Ms Dennis said she drove from Somerset to the restaurant and arrived about 12.40pm after she got the call.

But she added that she was forced to call Belco for help because she could not get Sweet Pea to come down.

Ms Dennis explained: “This type of call, thankfully, isn’t one I get on the norm and I couldn’t rescue her stuck on the ground.

“She was clearly distressed as she was panting and I couldn’t get to her to help, so the next best thing was to flag down someone that could.”

The daring rescue attempt by Belco staff was caught on video and posted over social media.

Many commended the firm’s John Martin, who was lifted in a cherry-picker in an attempt to rescue Sweet Pea, for his bravery.

Sweet Pea is of average size and wearing a blue collar with a bell and may still be in the South Shore area.

Anyone who spots Sweet Pea should catch her if safe to do so and contact the SPCA emergency service at 236-7333.