Cat-astrophe averted: Crane called in to rescue cat stuck on awning five floors up | VIDEO

A cat-astrophe was narrowly avoided when a heavily pregnant feline, stuck five floors up, was rescued by a crane. WATCH THE VIDEO.

A CAT-ASTROPHE was narrowly avoided last week when a heavily pregnant feline, stuck on an apartment ledge five floors up, was rescued by a crane.

On Thursday a Darwin resident, who preferred not to be named, said she went to feed her friend’s cat before going to work when she heard purring in the feline’s room – but found no kitty.

The cat had clawed through flywire and jumped out on to an awning.

Video showed the cat sitting on the awning, staring up and meowing for help.

“I had the window open to let fresh air in,” she said.

“I heard the meowing and looked out the window and she was on the windowsill.

“She’d been there for a few hours, I tried to make a ladder for her to climb up then called the fire brigade.”

After unsuccessful attempts to reach the cat and authorities saying they were unable to help, the cat’s owner recalled spotting a crane in the area.

The Darwin local headed off to work while the cat’s owner called the crane company, which later came to the rescue.

“She was quite terrified, panting on the ledge with nowhere to go,” the local said.

“She must have been looking for somewhere to have them (kittens).

“She probably didn’t see how high it was and there was nowhere else to jump from there.” Incredible footage, taken by the cat’s owner, shows the crane lifting a cage up to the fifth floor of the apartment building.

“She jumped right into the crane lady’s arms,” the Darwin local said.

She praised the professionalism of the crane company. While happy to do the job, the crane company declined to comment.

Since the dramatic rescue, the cat gave birth to five healthy kittens.