96-year-old finds 'rat tail' in birthday cake

"It doesn't taste right," Joe Valente said as he bit into the German apple ring cake bought to celebrate his 96th birthday.

When family gathered for the US man's party investigated the unpleasant taste, they discovered something horrible: what appeared to be a rat's tail baked into the cake's base, reports WABC News.

The "grey and grimy-looking" tail was at first mistaken for a line of black mould.

Valente's nephew, Neil Gold, told the New York Post that he "saw the whole tail bleeding into the cake".

Gold said his uncle had specially requested the cake from King Kullen, a supermarket in Commack, New York.

"He's had all their cake. He loves their cake," Gold said.

A spokesperson from the King Kullen chain said the Commack store had thrown out all its products as a "precautionary measure".

"The premises has undergone a thorough inspection. There are no known safety or rodent issues in this bakery," the company said in a statement.

Vallente's family lawyer, Ed Yule, said he believed "this cake was tampered with".

Aside from having his birthday party ruined, Valente also fell ill with diarrhoea and stomach pains.