Another reason to be kind to pets:

A pet cat has saved four people from a house fire in far north Queensland, a firefighter says.

The cat clawed its sleeping owner's face after the man's mattress caught fire at a property in Cairns about 2am today.

The man then woke his family who then escaped the blaze and alerted fire authorities.

It should be noted that it's also the reason why you shouldn't smoke in bed.