OLYMPIA, Wash. (UPI) -- A Washington state couple said their normally "fat" and lazy cat channeled his inner hero when he helped foil a burglary at their home.

Kerry and Barb Gansberg said their cat of 10 years, Strider, is best known around their Olympia home as a bit of a glutton and layabout.

"Well, he's fat and he's lazy," Barb Gansberg told KOMO-TV. He's kind of a pain in the rump.

The cat does understand some rules, the couple said, including staying out of their bedroom.

Gansberg said that's what made his behavior so suspicious Tuesday morning, when she was home alone and getting ready for work.

"He sneaks into my bedroom," she said. He's looking at me and I thought, 'what the heck is wrong with you?' and he sat right here [outside the door, in the hallway].

Gansberg said she could tell by Strider's behavior that something was wrong, so she exited the bedroom and ended up face to face with a pair of burglars, one of whom was holding her purse.

"So I just yelled, 'hey' and off they went," Gansberg said.

Kerry Gansberg said the men might the right choice by fleeing.

"It's a good thing they ran off because she would have pummeled them," he told The Chronicle newspaper.

Police said two men, ages 18 and 19, were arrested about a block away from the home.

The Gansbergs said they were surprised by Strider's actions.

"Yeah, he may have saved the day," Barb Gansberg said. I didn't know the cat had it in him.

Kerry Gansberg said his perception of the feline has changed -- at least for the moment.

"He's a hero for the time being," he said. But all good things must come to an end, unfortunately.

Copyright 2016 by United Press International