A CAT lover who was told he couldn't have a cat flap at his Cowley home came up with a purr-fect solution and took matters into his own hands, building a 7m ladder to an upstairs window for his four-legged friend.

Tariq Khoyratty, aged 26, made the ladder for less than £25 for his beloved five-month old ginger tom cat Nelson after his landlord refused to allow a catflap.

Since coming up with the innovative plan, Tariq's cat has been taking advantage of his useful new wooden staircase.

Tariq, who is currently studying a PhD in Immunology at Oxford University, said: "We were a little apprehensive at first as to whether he'd use the ladder so we made a small practice one which we propped against the downstairs window.

"Once he was used to that we coaxed him onto the larger ladder with treats and he took to it very quickly.

"He now uses it as his main access route in and out of the house. This is perfect for us as he's now free to come and go as he pleases without one of us having to act as a doorman.

"Our main concern was that Nelson might slip off the ladder, he has been known to fall off the back of the sofa, which is why I installed the rungs."

Tariq said that it was his girlfriend, Nikki Wheeler, also aged 26, who first came up with the novel solution after being denied permission for a catflap in the 17th century Grade II listed cottage's back doors.

Tariq has lived in the £500,000 three-bed property, in Cowley, Oxford, for the past two years and the ladder, which is 7m long and 15 cm wide, is made up of four 6ft decking planks and strips of wood.

The ladder's presence went unnoticed by neighbours because of their sheltered garden but it created an internet storm when a friend first tweeted about it last week.

The picture of Nelson going down the ladder has since been retweeted more than 1,200 times and liked by more than 2,500 people.

Describing the reaction on social media Tariq said: "I initially shared the picture with a few friends, their reaction was mixed.

"We were very surprised to see the level of interest generated on twitter. Clearly other cat owners are more appreciative of this sort of thing.

"There was very little planning involved. I'm very pleased with the ladder, its a simple solution to a problem that I'm sure many renters in the UK have."