Everyone knows moggies don’t usually like water.

But no one it seems has bothered to tell King Loui the cat.

The feline has taken up duties as chief rat-catcher at Southern Water’s treatment works at Eastchurch.

King Loui has proved a useful addition to the team. Picture: Chris Davey

Kyle Rayner, the site’s manager, says it is the purrfect solution to a tricky problem.

Despite the company trying traditional pest control methods, the rats were still winning.

So Kyle adopted a more natural approach. He said: “I’d been thinking about getting a cat anyway when someone told us about one that needed re-homing. I decided to get him in and he’s done a great job.

“He was wary of people at first but now you can’t get him off your lap.

King Loui, with Ivan Wilkins, site operator at Eastchurch Water Treatment Works. Picture: Chris Dave

“We’ve made a little entrance for him so he can get in and out while the site is still secure and we’ve bought him a food dispenser with biscuits.

“There’s always someone around to feed him and, of course, he gets to eat whatever he catches. He’s living the dream.

“We have solved the rat problem for the price of a few cat biscuits and he has a new home. What could be better?”

King Loui, chief rat catcher at Eastchurch Water Treatment Works. Picture: Chris Davey

The treatment works are manned 24-hours a day, seven days a week, so King Loui always has a human companion.

A Southern Water spokesman said: “While this is not a solution for all our sites, this is one way of reducing the use of chemicals which might harm the environment. It also saves money.”