An adorable video has emerged of a young cat getting a bit too close to a praying mantis in a garden in Atlantic City, NJ, US.

The footage, shot late last year, shows the two-year-old cat called Manchego closely observing the big insect before it springs its legs at him.

"A Praying Mantis is a beautiful creature and we believe they bring good luck, we wouldn't want him to get hurt playing with our cat," Manchego's owner later wrote online.