Firefighters rescue missing Edinburgh cat from sports centre roof and reunite with owner after month-long search

Belle the cat was found tangled in netting inside the roof at World of Football, near the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, on June 21, after going missing on May 23.

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World of Football employee Susan Campbell saw the terrified cat trapped high up on the roof but was unable to reach her.

She alerted the Scottish SPCA who called the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for help.

Firefighter Ryan MacDonald helped rescue pet cat Bella from the roof at World of Football.

Using specialist equipment Edinburgh fire crews were able to rescue the missing cat from the roof.

It is believed that the cat had been trapped there for more than a day, unable to find her way back down.

Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Aileen Maybury said: “Poor Belle had somehow managed to get stuck behind the netting in the roof of the indoor sports hall and couldn’t navigate her own way down.

“I called the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service who attended and used their specialist machinery to help to rescue Belle.

Animal rescue officer Aileen Maybury with Bella,

“She appeared to be incredibly relieved to get down from the roof.”

After being returned to solid ground the charity was able to reunite Belle with her owner, who had been looking for her pet for nearly four weeks.

Ms Maybury said: “Belle did have a microchip but the details were out-of-date. Luckily the last person registered had Belle’s owner’s details and we were able to contact them.

“We were shocked to hear that Belle hadn’t been seen since May 23, she had been missing for just under four weeks.

Belle safe at home.

"We are not sure where her adventures took her but hopefully she’ll be a bit more careful in the future.

“It is so important to keep your pet’s microchip details up-to-date so that they can easily be returned to you if they do go missing.

“We are so thankful to Susan Campbell from World of Football for contacting us. And we are very grateful to our friends at SFRS for rescuing Belle from the roof.”

Belle’s owner Julia Kerr is “over the moon” to have her beloved cat back.

Ms Kerr said: “Belle had been missing for almost four weeks and I was so worried about her. When I got the call to say she had been rescued, I was over the moon.”

“When she got home she was a bit anxious and timid but she’s now back to her old self and lazing about on the furniture. I’m so happy to have her back where she belongs and we could not be more thankful to everyone involved.”

SFRS local senior officer for Edinburgh, Kenny Rogers, said: “While the statutory responsibility for animal rescue lies with the Scottish SPCA, we will always attend where there is a risk that a member of the public might put themselves in danger by attempting to effect their own rescue.

“As a humanitarian organisation, SFRS crews use their technical training and expertise as well as specialist equipment to rescue animals. I’m pleased our crews were able to play a part in reuniting this cat with its owners.”

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