Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

Mr Plod, the mystery cat that lived outside MK police station, has been rescued from his life of stealing food from bins.

The grubby and neglected-looking stray cat had made his home in the police station car park for months, evading people who tried to catch him.

Often soaking wet and muddy, he climbed in rubbish bins to eat food scraps and drank out of puddles, sparking a wave of sympathy from members of the public on social media.

Earlier this month the Citizen put out an appeal to trace Mr Plod’s owners, to no avail.

Mr Plod is enjoying a luxury life in the custody of the Milton Keynes RSPCA

However, his story prompted action from the local branch of the RSPCA, which, due to the high numbers of needy cats in the city, cannot usually rush to the rescue to strays that appear to be in good health.

The charity’s volunteers launched a special operation to trap Mr Plod outside the police station and take him to their refuge for a thorough examination.

A spokesperson said: “This poor cat is very scared and doesn’t approach humans, so we knew we’d need to trap him to help.

“After connecting with some of the kind people who commented on social media, we were able to get a rough location for him and successfully trapped him."

Mr Plod was put in a seven day ‘custody’ in the cattery while the RSPCA waited to see if an owner would come forward to claim him.

This period has now expired and the RSPCA has taken him to the vet to get him the care he needs. He’s now been castrated, vaccinated, flea and worm treated and microchipped.

Today volunteers are beginning the process of gaining his trust and helping him adapt to a life sentence of luxury living.

“Though he's still quite shy and prefers to hide for now, we’re giving him all the time he needs to feel comfortable and safe. As soon as he’s ready…we’ll start the process of finding his new home,” said the spokesperson.

They added: “A big thank you to everyone who helped us locate Mr. Plod and get him the care he desperately needs.”

The RSPCA has many cats and rabbit needing new homes. They can be viewed here.

Donations to the branch, which is entirely self-funding, can be made here.

Dirty and neglected thief is rescued from Milton Keynes police station to enjoy life of luxury