Having been immortalised as a statue, Scotland’s most famous cat is used to being on a pedestal.
But 15-year-old Hamish McHamish had to be rescued from a height recently when he was chased up a tree.
The tomcat has entered into St Andrews folklore having been celebrated with a life-size bronze statue and is on his way to becoming a tourist attraction in a similar fashion to Greyfriar’s Bobby in Edinburgh.
However, the ginger tom enjoys no favours from local dogs, two of whom forced him to take refuge 20ft above the street.
When Hamish refused to come down, residents organised a rescue mission.
Staff from a nearby hairdressers held a ladder while an intrepid student climbed into the branches to bring Hamish back to earth.
One salon worker said: “One of the girls saw Hamish getting chased by two small dogs. Hamish then darted up the tree. We went outside with his cat treats and tried to entice him down.
“He was trying to balance on really small branches. Luckily two students offered to help and got the ladder from the back of the shop so he could climb up and get Hamish.”
She added: “He wasn’t hurt by his ordeal. People cheered when he was finally down. He was up there for around 20 minutes.”
Hamish himself thanked fans on his Facebook page, saying: “I was just testing to see if you were paying attention! Pesky dogs.”
Hamish left his owner at the tender age of one and for the past 14 years has simply wandered in and out of residents’ homes, taking food and shelter wherever he can find it.
Flora Selwyn of St Andrews in Focus magazine came up with the idea for the statue, which Kilmany-based sculptor David Annand made after locals raised £5,000.