24 January 2012 Last updated at 07:40 ET

Plea after pet cat 'finds' gecko in Livingston

Charlie the gecko was found in the hall of a house in Livingston

The owner of a lizard "found" by a cat in West Lothian is being sought by an animal welfare charity.

Jane Cheney, from Livingston, called the Scottish SPCA for help when her pet cat Mufasa brought the leopard gecko home in the early hours of Sunday.

Ms Cheney said: "I got up in the night to make myself a cup of tea because I couldn't sleep and that's when I found the gecko in the hall."

She added: "I couldn't believe my eyes."

She said the only way the gecko, she has named Charlie, could have got into the house was by the cat bringing it in.

"He hasn't brought me any presents in ages," she said. "He's a gentle giant so I'm not surprised he didn't hurt the gecko.

"I'm a big animal lover so I popped Charlie into a basin with some water and put my heating on to warm him up until the Scottish SPCA officer arrived."

Defence mechanism

Fiona Thorburn, Scottish SPCA's animal rescue officer, said: "This little gecko is slightly thin but otherwise in good condition and, remarkably, doesn't have a scratch on him.

"He has dropped his tail, which is a defence mechanism lizards have which helps them escape from predators.

"He probably did this when Mufasa picked him up, but it will grow back in time.

"It's likely Charlie has escaped from home, however, we can't rule out the possibility that he has been abandoned.

"If he's a stray then we'd love to reunite him with his owner."