Firefighters in Austria had to dismantle a police car to rescue a kitten.

Emergency services were called to a Vienna neighbourhood after the animal's desperate mewing kept local residents awake and ended up searching half the night to find the cat.

After locating the creature under the hood of a car, rescuers were amazed when it fled, taking cover under several other vehicles before apparently disappearing - though its cries could still be heard.

Firefighters and police eventually traced the cat to a small space inside the floor panel of a police car, resulting in the bottom of the vehicle being taken apart to rescue it.

However, the kitten was far from grateful to be rescued.

Firefighter Franz Zehetmeier exclaimed: "It bit my finger!"