Couple call police after pet cat holds them 'hostage'

Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.

A crazy purr-petrator

A couple in Wisconsin called 911 for help after their pet cat trapped them in their own home. "This is gonna sound like a strange question, but we have a cat and it's going crazy and it attacked my husband and we're kind of hostage in our house and we're just wondering who we should call to do something, get rid of the cat or help us," the woman said. The cat was eventually captured by the police without further incident.

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Man 'marries' his smartphone

A Californian man has married his smartphone to "send a message to society" about how attached everybody is to their handset. Aaron Chervenak, from Los Angeles, took part in the "commitment ceremony" at the Little Las Vegas Chapel. The marriage isn't legally recognised by the state of Nevada.

Gambles by name...

A man named Gambles has won the lottery for a second time using the same five numbers he plays every week. Larry Gambles, 65, won more than $1m (£750,000) earlier this month, nine years after winning a $50,000 first prize in the same lottery. Gambles told reporters that he doesn't believe his surname has anything to do with the win. "I equate gambling with dice, cards and casinos," he said. "To me, lottery is just luck."