Cat run over by Santa's sleigh

Like most youngsters, eight-month-old Barney the cat was eager to meet Father Christmas and make sure his wishlist had arrived.

But his yuletide excitement ended up costing him one of his nine lives.

Barney, who lives with his owners in Didcot, joined thousands of others at the town's Christmas Street Fair to enjoy the festive fun.

Once he was there he took up a prime position to watch the floats and performers make their way up Broadway.

But the festive feline adventure was cut short when Barney was hit by Santa's sleigh.

Luckily for Barney an anonymous Good Samaritan full of the spirit of Christmas scooped him up and took him to Abivale Veterinary Group in Abingdon.

Because he had been microchipped, vets were able to quickly trace his owner, but the identity of the woman who rescued him still remains a mystery.

Barney's owner Naomi Hart said she wanted to thank the women who saved her treasured pet.

She said: "He has a paralysed tail and a bit of a limp but apart from that he is OK. If someone hadn't taken him to the vets then I don't know what would have happened. We just wanted to say thank you to the person who picked him up."

Mrs Hart said it was not the first time her adventurous cat had got into a fix.

"He is that sort of cat. When he was five months old he ended up in Blackbird Leys. He had walked to the rail station shop and someone who worked there took him home to look after him," she said.