A scaredy cat has proved descretion is the better part of valour after surviving a flat fire by hiding in a children's wardrobe.

Fire-proof feline Gizmo had been given up for dead by Lynn Kaizim and her family after flames tore through their flat in Cranmer House in Surrey Lane, Battersea on January 31.

Firefighters rescued their two kitttens from the blaze, but were unable to find Gizmo.

In the following tidy up, the family scoured the building for him from top to toe but there was no sign of him.

But when Miss Kaizim opened her grandchildren's wardrobe three days later she was shocked to find the four-year-old moggy sat amongst some clothing.

She called to her daughter, who came racing in from another room and scooped up her beloved pet.

Miss Kaizim said: "She picked him up and started calling his name out and hugging him. She was happy to see he was ok, she thought he had gone.

"We had opened all the cupboards before but didn't see him in there.

"I did say over the few days he was not gone. I had this feeling he was not dead, I knew he was there somewhere."

She said Gizmo was a timid cat and was incredibly nervous when they found him.

The flat was left badly damaged after the fire, which was caused by tea light candles left on the armchair of the sofa.

A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade warned about the dangers of candles following the blaze.

He said: "Place your candles on a flat and stable surface.

"The small tea light candle placed on the arm of a chair and burnt straight though, and caused the fire. This could have been avoided by placing it on a saucer."

Gizmo is now recovering alongside the kittens Gucci and Gemini.