I was amazed at Rosie Jo the adorable agoraphobic cat who had all the space in the world outside but never wanted to leave the house.

Rodents and songbirds were as safe as houses at her household because Rosie Jo will not venture outside.

On the plus side I suppose there will be no muddy paw prints on the carpet to clean up, but 15-year-old Rosie Jo, who lives on a 53-acre farm in the heart of North Devon, sits and stares out of the scullery door into the great British countryside not wanting to put a paw over the threshold.

Rosie's strange behaviour has astonished her owner Amanda Budd who moved into their new farm with her husband 18 months ago.

It was then Amanda realised that her cat had developed an irrational fear of open spaces.

Said Amanda: "She was showing signs of agoraphobia at our last home but when we moved to Devon she wouldn't go outside from the start."

Rosie has made her home in the scullery where she lives in three main places, she hops from her litter tray to her cat food bowl and then to her luxury bed on top of the boiler, and if she gets too warm she stretches out on the washing machine to cool off.

"She got it into her head not to go outside and she has stuck to it," said Amanda. "She has 53 acres to play around in and she's not tempted, instead she sits at the open door watching the birds on the bird feeder and if a mouse ran through the yard she wouldn't leave the house to chase it."

Amanda added: "Rosie Jo is now just an agoraphobic elderly puss who at 15 is just not bothered and is contented living in her luxury scullery, but if she ever changes her mind she has acres of wide open space to play around in."