"The rabbit holes are like mazes and he must have gone through one hole and got stuck – he had made himself a hole in the middle but he couldn't get out again," said Mclellan. "When he got out the hole he went for a wee – and then carried on as if nothing had happened!

"When I got back home I opened the door and there he was in the kitchen," she added. "I couldn't believe it."

Despite losing weight while he was trapped in the hole, Ralph was not left with any serious injuries.

"Ralph is completely knackered and he has worn down his nails from where he was trying to dig himself out, but he is otherwise fine," said Mclellan. "He's lost weight and he's so tired – he just needs time to build himself back up again."

The relieved owner hopes that her happy ending will give others hope that their pets will also be found.

"It was such a drama and I was still in shock when I saw him – I was up till 1am last night just cuddling him.

"He does like chasing rabbits and he does that a lot but he just took it too far this time. Hopefully he has learnt his lesson this time."