’What goes up, must come down’.

It’s unlikely that Isaac Newton was thinking of a cat when he was developing his theory of gravity, but he probably should have done.

Last week, Hatty the cat made headline news after being ’stranded’ 30 feet up on a railway bridge near Plymouth for six days.

Firefighters spent several hours erecting their longest ladder, and tried to coax the five-year-old Maine Coon cross out from between the pillars of the bridge with Dreamies and fish, but nothing worked. The rescue attempt was live streamed by a local radio station and hundreds of people watched as Hatty resisted all attempts to rescue her.

The firefighters decided that another approach was needed, and that they would try to reach Hatty from the railway track itself

Network Rail agreed to close the line in the early hours of the following morning - no mean feat given the bridge carries the main line in and out of Cornwall.

Hatty’s owner was just about to join the second rescue attempt when she heard a miaow outside her back door â?¦ yes, you’ve guessed it - Hatty had made her own way down from the bridge and decided to come home.

During her time on the bridge Hatty had, apparently, killed and eaten a gull (the poor bird clearly hadn’t been expecting to see a cat so high up) and so she hadn’t starved.

It’s not uncommon for cats to appear to be stuck on roofs and ledges, or up trees.

The ManxSPCA and the Manx fire brigade regularly receive calls from concerned members of the public who are concerned about cats that they think are unable to get down from their elevated positions.

Our advice is always as follows: it is highly likely that the cat will make its own way down, just like Hatty, but you can help him or her by locating a ladder and propping it against the side of the building or the tree.

You can coax the cat to use the ladder by placing food (a tin of tuna, for example) at the bottom and then make sure that the cat is left undisturbed.

The fire brigade will only attend the scene once all options to help the cat make its own way down have been exhausted.

As far as we know, handsome Hamlet has never been stuck on a roof or up a tree.

In fact, he’s a real ’home-bird’ and likes nothing more than staying close to his family.

Unfortunately for Hamlet, his original family emigrated to Australia and had to leave him behind.

We don’t think he’ll be in the cattery for long, though, because he’s such a sweet cat and a real people-pleaser.

He particularly likes his belly to be tickled and doesn’t care how much dignity he loses in the process. He’s also good with children and dogs - the purrfect cat!

If Hamlet is still with us you can meet him, and our other rescue animals, at the ManxSPCA’s Open Day on Saturday, June 15.

The fun starts in the Play Barn at 1pm and will continue until 4pm, with a vegan pop-up cafe, live music, craft stalls and children’s activities including a bouncy castle and face-painting.

There will be something for everyone to enjoy.

There will also be the opportunity to have your dog’s portrait painted by the talented local artist, Kim Gee.

You can then reward your dog for sitting still by taking him or her for a walk along our nature trail, or maybe pop into the tearooms for lunch or a snack - dogs are welcome in the conservatory area or on the picnic benches outside.