2 July 2008

A five-year-old cat could be set to receive a national prize for courageously helping to save his owners from a potentially fatal fire.

Wallace is one of four brave animals to be nominated in the Hero Cat category of the Rescue Cat Awards.

The fearless feline raced upstairs to wake owner Maureen Gorman after he had discovered a fire in their Carnoustie home earlier this year.

Maureen told the Evening Telegraph that she had initially thought that Wallace wanted to go outside for a walk.

She continued: "However, at the bottom of the stairs, he headed into the lounge, where I found smoke billowing out of my computer. I managed to unplug it and put the fire out. Wallace must have seen it start to smoulder and come upstairs to warn me - he was quite the hero!"

The fourth annual Rescue Cat Awards will take place on 1 August at the Pharaohs' Palace Hospitality Suite, which is part of the Tutankhamun Exhibition in the O2 Arena.