The persistent door scratching of a pet cat in northern California alerted the feline’s owners to a garage fire, allowing the entire family to escape the blaze unharmed.
Tiger Lily, the cat hero of a family in the Monterrey County town of Salinas, alerted the family to the Dec. 26 fire when, from inside the house, she began scratching on a door leading to the garage.
A woman in the house heard the scratching and decided to look inside. After seeing smoke and flames, she told her husband, Rick Genasci, who called 911.
The family was then able to evacuate the house without suffering any injuries. Tiger Lily scrambled away during the commotion, but was later found alive and unharmed in the home’s backyard.
Wrapping paper stored too close to the home’s heating system in the garage is believed to have sparked the blaze, according to Salinas Fire Division Chief Scott Tyler. Officials say the house suffered about $100,000 worth of damage.