This is the heart-stopping moment an elderly woman dangled her seven-year-old grandson from a five-storey balcony by a rope to save her trapped cat.

It is said the pensioner's pet had been stuck on the balcony one level below, so she decided to lower the boy to the edge of the platform for him to reach the animal.

The child put the feline into a bag before being precariously pulled up by his grandmother. Both the boy and the cat were unhurt, according to reports.

The boy stands on a tiny ledge to reach the cat after being dangled down from his five-storey home by his grandmother using a rope. Both the child and the cat were unhurt, it is reported

The risky rescue operation took place on Sunday in Peng'an, a county of Sichuan Province in south-western China, reported BJ News.

Trending footage shows the boy, known as Hao Hao, standing on a tiny ledge while being attached to the homemade safety equipment.

He appeared to be putting the bag into a bag while his grandmother held onto the rope from her balcony. The boy's uncle helped pulling the rope.

Moments later, the pensioner, known by her surname Tang, started to haul in the rope to pull Hao Hao and the pet back to their flat.

Worrying about the boy's safety, onlookers shouted and urged the grandparent to stop the perilous act, but the retiree refused.

The pensioner hauls in the rope to pull up her grandson after he put the cat in a bag which he is carrying. The risky rescue operation reportedly took place on Sunday in Peng'an, China

The grandmother was widely criticised after footage of her act went viral on social media yesterday.

A spokesperson at the local residential committee, Wang Ying, told BJ News that they had criticised and educated Ms Tang. She insisted that Hao Hao was not hurt.

The spokesperson added that the boy was a first-grade pupil and that his parents were working in another city, leaving him to live with his grandparents.

Ms Tang said that she did not feel her act was dangerous at the time, but after watching footage of it she felt scared, according to Chengdu-based Red Star News.

She told the news outlet: 'It is not that I would rather risk my grandson's life to save my cat. I did it because I was certain (of his safety)…'

The elderly woman then expressed regret.

'I know what I did was wrong and will never do that again,' she said.

The boy told the reporter that he did not feel scared at the time.

The whole operation lasted for 10 minutes and did not cause any injuries, according to eyewitnesses.