Bruce Lee, the cat. [PHOTO CREDIT: JAMES COCKSEDGE] 

Published: 6 November, 2013
by PAVAN AMARA

MOST people who dial 999 when there’s not an emergency risk being charged with wasting precious police time.

But Bruce Lee, a caller from Kilburn, is expected to escape prosecution: he’s a pedigree Singapura kitten.

Officers broke down the door of his owner’s flat on Thursday morning after the home-alone cat accidentally stepped on the house phone, dialling 999.

Not taking any chances, police rushed to the scene, only to find Bruce Lee hiding under a mountain of clothes in a wardrobe.

Owner James Cocksedge, 33, returned home from the shops at midday to find the chaotic scene.

“I didn’t tell him off,” said Mr Cocksedge, a sound engineer who works on television and film projects and lives with fiancée, Monica de la Cruz.

“I couldn’t. He already looked so ashamed of himself,” he said. “He got himself into this situation and then didn’t know what to do, so he just hid. If anything I felt a lot of sympathy for him. He was quite upset by the whole ordeal.

“It happened the day before his first birthday, so it wasn’t great timing for Brucie.”

He added: “Basically, he always jumps when the phone rings and then starts knocking about the receiver. I imagine someone must have rang, he probably went nuts, dialled nine three times, heard a voice, suddenly freaked out and left the phone. Then the police started banging down the door and he hid.”

Singapura are thought of by feline experts as playful and active cats. The guitar-playing Hit Cat in Disney’s cartoon feature The Aristocats is a Singapura.

Mr Cocksedge said: “All I know is, I left Bruce Lee and his sister Audrey for a couple of hours and when I got back the police were waiting outside my flat. They said: ‘Don’t worry, we’ve had to force entry, but the cat is all right.’

“The phone was on the floor. Audrey was quite relaxed but Bruce had disappeared. I found him looking guilty at the back of the wardrobe and I put two and two together.”

Camden police police explained that they “couldn’t take any chances” by ignoring the call.

“Bruce Lee is still in shock,” added Mr Cocksedge. “We’ve been cuddling him, rubbing his belly, prodding him, throwing his favourite balls so he can fetch them. He likes that. But we’ve also started to unplug the phone when we’re out. He’s got a cheeky side to him, and he might do it again, although he’d be silly to.”

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: “We take all abandoned calls seriously. These calls are typically resolved with a call back from a police operator, confirming the need for police. When call backs are unanswered, checks are carried out, and police will respond to the address where appropriate.”

>>WATCH: Bruce Lee Cocksedge playing fetch (click here)