A quick-thinking pet cat avoided injury by leaping from a window moments before a balcony came crashing down.

CCTV footage captured the tabby perched on a ledge as rumbling began in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 17.

Sensing danger, the feline sprang to safety just seconds before the first chunk of debris slammed into the pavement.

The kitten darted across the street, avoiding wooden beams and crumbled concrete that had fallen from the building's upper level.

Resident Muhammet Hamari said: ‘The building has collapsed, or rather, it is about to collapse. The municipality is here now, trying to seal it.

‘There is a one metre high wall by the balcony that has fallen. The building is already old, and the council is saying they would seal it.'

Local police and safety officers arrived to evacuate nearby families and cordon off the site. City engineers later assessed the damage to determine whether the structure should be demolished.

Muhammet added: ‘We have no place to stay right now. We are stuck outside. We are going to the council and hope they will help us. We have no relatives, no one, and we do not know where we are going to stay.'