No scaredy cats here! Video shows dramatic moment Tara the fearless feline saved autistic boy, 4, from attack by neighbor’s dog
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Jeremy Triantafilo was outside his family’s California home on Tuesday when the neighbor’s dog escaped and grabbed him from behind
- But the family cat, Tara, jumped on the dog and chased it away
- The boy needed stitches and the dog has reportedly been euthanized
- The incident was captured on surveillance cameras outside the home
An astonishing video has shown the moment that a family’s cat came to the rescue of their four-year-old son after he was viciously attacked by a neighbor’s dog.
Jeremy Triantafilo was sitting on his bicycle outside his family’s home in Bakersfield, California on Tuesday when the dog escaped its home through an open gate and crept up on him from behind.
Surveillance footage, which Jeremy’s father uploaded to YouTube, shows the dog grabbing the boy’s leg and pulling him to the ground before violently shaking him with his teeth clamped tight.
Scroll down for video – WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
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Lurking: Jeremy Triantafilo was outside his family’s home when a neighbor’s dog escaped and ran towards him
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Attack: The dog suddenly grabs the boy by the leg and pulls him to the ground before viciously shaking him
Cat saves boy from vicious dog attack in California
Then suddenly, an unlikely Hero bounds towards him – the family’s cat, Tara.
The video shows the fearless feline jumping on the dog with enough force to push him away from the boy. Tara then chases the dog away from the driveway with its leg between its tail.
Satisfied that the animal has left the area, she then returns to her family to check on Jeremy, who is being comforted by his mother, Erica, who had been nearby.
The neighbor, who had been pulling out of their gated driveway when the dog escaped, called 911 for the boy and his mother, KERO reported.
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To the rescue! Tara the cat can be seen running towards her beloved owner as the dog shakes him
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Feline brave: The cat launches herself at the startled dog and knocks it away from Jeremy
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And don’t come back! Tara follows the dog to make sure it has left, before returning to check on Jeremy
The boy, who has mild autism, needed stitches to the deep wounds on his legs but is otherwise fine, his mother told the ABC affiliate.
‘Tara is my hero,’ Jeremy said, adding that she saved him from ‘a mean dog – I got an owie!’
The dog was taken by Bakersfield Animal Control. TMZ reported that it continued to be aggressive after it was captured and has been euthanized.
The encounter was caught on surveillance cameras outside the home and uploaded to YouTube by the boy’s father, Roger Triantafilo, on Wednesday.
Injuries: Jeremy needed stitches to the wounds on his leg, pictured, but is otherwise fine, his mother said
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Hero: Tara the cat sits for her first interview with Jeremy, whose bandaged leg can be seen
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Loved: The cat happily lets the little boy kiss her as he calls her a Hero who saved him from a ‘mean dog’
‘My cat defends my son during a vicious dog attack and runs the dog off before he can do additional damage,’ Triantafilo wrote beneath the video. ‘Thankfully, my son is fine!’
He added to KERO: ‘I’ve never seen a cat do that. Especially ours. It just shows how much she really has a family-oriented mind set.’
The boy’s mother said on Facebook: ‘We aren’t upset with our neighbors, we’re just thankful our son wasn’t injured more… Our cat is my hero!’
‘Whoever said cats don’t love their owners!’ one YouTube viewer said.
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Relief: Jeremy’s parents, Erica and Roger, pictured, said they were relieved his injuries were not worse
Read more: Video shows cat saving autistic boy, 4, from attack by neighbor’s dog | Mail Online
This cat is fucking amazing! Go puss!