Alley cat collars fake vet

It takes a cool cat to carry out a sting on the backstreets of New York - but then Fred, an eight-month old former stray, is no ordinary puss. He's Brooklyn's finest, and furriest, pet detective.

Fred's assistance was requested by the city's police when they received a tip-off that a seemingly honest vet in the neighbourhood was a 28-year-old college student carrying out unlicensed operations - and charging steep fees for botched work.

Police knew that it would take a special pair of paws to catch Steven Vassall. So they brought in Fred, the undercover cat, as bait.

And on Wednesday, Fred had his moment in the limelight, sporting a tiny police badge on his collar as he posed for photographs with owner, Carol Moran. "He's pretty easygoing, a real Brooklyn guy," she said.

Fred shared centre-stage with Burt the Boston terrier, who narrowly survived an operation by Mr Vassall last August. Burt's owner contacted the authorities about Mr Vassall's shoddy work and police decided on a sting.

Last week, an investigator posing as Fred's owner asked Mr Vassall to come to an apartment rigged with a hidden camera. He was filmed offering to neuter the kitten for $135 (£80) and arrested leaving the flat carrying Fred in a box and cash for the operation. He has been released on $2,500 bail.