It was a feisty fight to save a cat caught in rising river levels in London's River Thames as it tried to evade all efforts to save it.
The daring river rescue on Sunday (London time) started off confidently, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crew planned to get in, scoop the cat up, and wrap it in a towel to help dry it off.
But when approaching the cowering animal, they decided to change tack and scoop it up with the blanket in the first instance, the rescuer worrying he'd be "scratched to hell".
Things quickly went south as the crewman tried to make it back in the boat when the slippery creature escaped the blanket and turned on its helper, attacking with fierce scratches before leaping into the way.
Undeterred, the rescuer headed back into the water as the cat swam away and managed to rescue it as it struggled to swim.
The entire encounter was caught on video by the rescuers, to their evident great amusement and applause by onlookers.
They eventually managed to return it back to land safely.
But the relief was short-lived; once the cat was let go, it was immediately chased by a nearby dog.
The video was posted by RNLI on its Facebook page and drew widespread praise for the rescue effort.
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