A very lucky cat used up three of his nine lives after he was found impaled through his body - by three metal fence posts.

The poor moggy was spotted by a shocked passersby, who found the helpless ginger cat stuck on top of the eight-foot tall railings.

The RSPCA rushed to the scene in Cricklewood, north west London, around 3.50am last Friday to rescue the trapped cat - but needed to call for help.

A very lucky cat survived being impaled by THREE metal posts in Cricklewood, north west London

The cat is lucky to be alive following major surgery - after he was found impaled on metal fence posts

The RSPCA rushed to the scene at around 3.50am last Friday to rescue the trapped cat

Firefighters also dashed to the scene to use car-crash rescue machines to cut away the section of fence the cat was stuck on.

The ginger tom is lucky to be alive, and is now recovering from emergency surgery.

RSPCA inspectors have no idea how the cat ended up stuck on the three posts.

Deputy chief inspector Nicole Broster who attended the horrific scene, said: 'When I took the emergency call about a cat impaled on fence posts, I was extremely worried and couldn't believe that the cat was still alive.

'When I got there I was incredibly shocked - in all my years with the RSPCA I have never seen anything like it.

'This poor cat literally had two metal posts protruding through his body.

'I was amazed that this lovely affectionate boy was still alive and I knew I had to get him urgent help in order to give him the best chance of survival.

'I realised that trying to remove him from the railings myself was not a viable option and could have caused him eve more damage.

'I phoned the London Fire Brigade and asked them to attend with their specialist equipment in the hope they could cut the metal railings and we could get the cat a vet as quickly as possible.

RSPCA inspector Nicole Broster who attended the horrific scene, said she 'was extremely worried and couldn't believe that the cat was still alive'

'The fire service were absolutely fantastic and I cannot thank them enough.

'Not only did they cut the railings, they also transported the cat to the nearest vets in Hendon as the railings wouldn't fit in my vehicle.

'They even stayed to help at the vets by holding up the heavy railings so I could comfort the poor cat while the vet examined him and prepared for emergency surgery.'

After the operation on Friday, the vet discovered the fence posts had narrowly missed the cat's vital organs, with one piercing his back leg and a second piercing his abdomen.

Since the fence posts were removed, the cat has been recovering well.

The cat was spotted by passersby and is now recovering well

Cut railings show where the RSPCA and the London Fire Brigade rescued a ginger cat

The cut railings show where the male ginger cat was found on a fence in north west London

The male ginger and white cat is not microchipped and DCI Broster, who is leading the investigation, is continuing to make enquiries.

It is possible that the cat slipped or jumped from a balcony on a nearby block of flats and became impaled, but nothing is being ruled out as a possible cause.

DCI Broster added: 'He was so brave, continuously purring and nudging me whilst I comforted him despite his horrendous ordeal.

'The only time he ever cried was if I had to leave him to help with his treatment.

'It's an absolute miracle that this cat is alive, and even better, it's looking like he won't even have to have the damaged leg amputated.

'In fact, he is doing so well he's already up on his feet and walking which is astounding, I can't quite believe how lucky he is.

'He's still not out of the woods yet as there's a risk of infection from where the metal posts were inside his body, but the vets have done an amazing job in saving his life.

'He'll be moving to an RSPCA hospital this week for further care.'