The cat lashed out at the burglar

The thief was also struck on the head by a 71-year-old woman who brandished her walking stick as he tried to clamber into her Truro home.

She had been woken by the sound of her bedroom window being forced open in the early hours of the morning.

And as well as suffering a blow from the woman's stick, the intruder was scratched on the arm by her cat.

'Brave lady'

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokeswoman described the lady's actions as "brave".

She said: "I don't suppose he was expecting to be met by a cat and a walking stick on the other side of the window."

Police say the burglar, who fled empty-handed, is likely to be suffering from scratches to his arm and a head injury.