Hong Kong man, 63, allegedly fell to his death trying to save pet cat

A 63-year-old man in Hong Kong died after reportedly falling from a high-rise building while trying to rescue his pet cat.

According to South China Morning Post, police were alerted to the incident at about 11:27pm on Feb. 18 after a security guard at a residential estate in Kowloon City discovered a man lying in a flower bed outside one of the blocks.

Was trying to save his cat

Local news outlet HK01 reported that the man's wife was taking a shower when she suddenly heard a loud crashing sound.

Neighbours who were startled by the noise later spotted the cat trapped on a ledge and notified building security.

Upon arriving at the scene, security guards found the man lying on the flower bed, leading them to believe that he had fallen while trying to rescue his cat.

Videos circulating online later showed firefighters and personnel from Hong Kong's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) attempting to rescue the cat.

In one clip, a white cat could be seen standing on the edge of a ledge outside a unit as rescuers tried to coax it into a container.

In another, the cat can be seen repeatedly moving along the narrow ledge while officers monitored the situation from a neighbouring flat, before an SPCA officer extended a snare pole from a window.

The cat was eventually rescued and returned to the man’s family.

Postmortem to be conducted

The man was subsequently taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where he was pronounced dead, SCMP reported.

Preliminary investigations indicate that he may have lost his footing and fallen from his flat while trying to retrieve the cat from the ledge outside the unit.

Police also found damaged trees in the planter and bloodstains on the adjacent pavement where the man was discovered.

Police said a postmortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Top photos from HK01 and Hong Kong's SPCA