Ferocious cat disrupts rail services

A stowaway cat on a New Zealand train injured the driver so badly that a replacement driver had to be called in, disrupting rail services in the capital, Wellington, it was reported Thursday.

KiwiRail said the driver discovered the cat after pulling into Wellington station late last week and was scratched so badly when he tried to capture the animal that he needed medical attention, The Wairarapa Times Age reported.

A replacement driver had to be summoned as emergency cover for the injured driver, KiwiRail spokesman Nigel Parry said.

"It's very unusual... when I spoke to the train manager after his hand had been bandaged up he said he had been working in trains for four decades and it was first time he has been attacked by a cat," Parry said.

He said the cat had been caught and that KiwiRail was appealing for its owner to contact to SPCA animal welfare organisation to reclaim it.

"We can also assure we won't be charging the owner a fare," he added.