A family of three were left scratching their heads after their cat brought home a goldfish - which was still very much alive.

Jade Martin had been at home in Faversham when black cat Nox delivered the surprise, which has now fittingly been named Nemo after surviving its perilous adventure.

Mrs Martin, 27, and her toddler Grayson had been in their back garden near West Faversham Community Centre yesterday afternoon.

"I went outside, and Nox was sat at the back of the garden with this bright orange thing," she said.

"I said to my husband, 'Frank I think he's got something'. Then I went over and was like 'it's a fish! Frank! Frank! Quick! It's a fish!'"

Mrs Martin says Nox has a habit of bringing "gifts" to the family, but that they are "normally poor birds".

"My husband ran over to the fish and we were wondering what to do with it," she said.

"It was on the floor next to Nox and it wasn't moving, so we assumed it was dead.

"My husband got a dustpan and kind of scooped it up.

"We were just kind of walking around with it, and it just very slightly started to flick its tail."

Half-convinced the fish was dead and exhibiting rigor mortis, Mr Martin decided to fetch a bucket of water to "see what happens".

"The second it hit the water it started swimming around really fast, happy as Larry," said Mrs Martin.

"We were really shocked. Then thought 'oh my god what are we going to do?' We now have a bucket with a fish in it, and a cat that's thinking 'ooh, another treat for me'."

The fish had a tiny puncture wound to its back, but appeared otherwise unharmed from its close brush with death.

"We'd presumed it came from a pond," said Mrs Martin. "But my husband said 'what if Nox has gone into someone's indoor aquarium? What if someone was in their home and watched it happen?'

"It's got to have come from someone fairly near as it was still alive.

"So my husband went around the nearest streets with the bucket, and started knocking on doors saying 'is this your fish?' People were really confused.

"Frank was gone about 10 minutes, then he came back and he still had the fish!

"We couldn't let it die. So we put it in a big tub, and bought some special water solution and fish food.

"My husband was like 'OK, we're going to need to dig a pond'. For this one fish!"

But keen to reunite the creature with its rightful owner, Mrs Martin posted on a local Facebook page and on neighbourhood app Nextdoor.

"Within half-an-hour a lady messaged saying 'I'm not sure if it's one of my fish because it's quite cold and mine have gone to the bottom of the pond, but I'm happy to take it in'," said Mrs Martin.

The fish is now being cared for by the woman.

"She lives two roads over, so there's a strong possibility it was her fish, but she didn't know," said Mrs Martin.

"We just wanted it to go somewhere where it's going to be properly looked after."

During its time with the Martins, the fish was named Hubert.

"I have no idea why - he just felt fancy to me," said Mrs Martin. "The lady we gave him to named him Nemo because he was on a journey to going home.

"What’s funny is he had a little social media following by the end because I recorded his story on my Instagram stories and loads of my followers were so invested in his journey.

"It was a whirlwind of adventure and fame for him that afternoon."

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Faversham