Kent Fire and Rescue has issued a warning to animal lovers after a cat died due to becoming trapped in a reclining chair.

They were called to Vincent Gardens, Sheerness, at around 6.30pm on Sunday after the distraught owner found her beloved pet trapped in the chair's mechanism.

The woman had settled down to watch TV not knowing her pet was underneath. As she tried to move it to the upright position the cat strangled itself.

She was unable to open the chair again due to the position of the pet.

A fire spokesman said: “This isn’t the first time it has happened. “We’d like to advise all pet owners to check their chairs before moving them.”