A sneaky lab mouse avoided capture by climbing on a lab-tech's shoulder - in a scene straight out of Tom and Jerry.

The lab worker had taken the rodents out of the cages to weigh them when three of them jumped out and escaped.

A video from the lab in Shanghai, China, shows technician Tian Yongyi frantically searching for the mouse as it sits on her back, waving its tail.

She can even be seen lying on the floor to look under cabinets as the smug rodent sits on her back.

The white mouse managed to avoid capture for more than 10 minutes after the lab tech eventually realised the mouse was sitting on her shoulder.