'My cat bit me' is not a crime, police say

Being being bitten by a cat does not warrant an emergency call, police have reminded people.

Cambridgeshire Police said a man dialled 999 at the weekend to report two cats had been fighting and one had bitten him.

Writing on Facebook, the force said the "bizarre call" was one of more than 1,000 taken by call handlers that weekend.

It said the calls received included 124 reports of domestic abuse, 99 incidents of concern for welfare and 52 other violent crimes - as well as one cat bite.

"If your cat bites you, please don't call us to report it as a crime," a spokesperson said.

"Calls like the one about the cat could cause delay in us speaking to people who genuinely need our help."

While all calls coming in to the 999 number are treated seriously, in the case of the cat the call handler concluded "no threat was identified and no police involvement was required".

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.