A CAT and dog are on the road to recovery after two lucky escapes.

The cat is making the most of his nine lives after he was rescued from the River Derwent.

A passer-by noticed he had been knocked into the river by a car and called the RSPCA and fire brigade.

He was pulled out of the water and taken to The Mount veterinary practice, before being put in the care of the local Cats Protection League.

Liz Wattrus, from the league, said although the cat had not broken any limbs he was badly battered.

“Our priority was to get him the right treatment as soon as we could,” she said.

“His back legs were not working properly and it has taken a great deal of work to get him back to health.”

Liz said the cat, known as Big Lad, still walks with a slight limp but is doing really well.

“He has been loved back to health,” she said. “It is all part of the work that we do and we always welcome donations and good homes for the cats and kittens in our care.”

Meanwhile, Kipper, the Ryedale Rescue dog, had a lucky escape last month after he was knocked down on the main Scarborough road near Brambling Fields.

His owner, Dave Walker, said a motorist stayed with him as he came to before letting the family know what had happened.