KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A woman who survived a fire at her Kalamazoo home is thanking firefighters — and a cat.

Clarice Aikman says a smoke alarm didn’t go off immediately on Christmas. But a cat named Scabies woke her up by kicking her and smacking her face.

Aikman tells the Kalamazoo Gazette that she noticed smoke in a floor vent and realized that her apartment house was on fire. The 53-year-old ripped off a window screen, crawled onto a porch roof and screamed for help.

Aikman survived, along with four cats. She’s staying at a motel until she can find an apartment that accepts pets.

She might be willing to send some of her cats to new homes, but she won’t part with Scabies. Aikman says: “He saved my life.”