You have to cheer for the cat here. And it seems the whole country is doing just that. When 4-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo, Bakersfield, Calif., was attacked by a neighbor’s dog, Tara the family cat did what cats are perfectly capable of doing. Dogs are just lucky they don’t decide to do it more often.
My guess is Tara was napping on the sunny front steps and was startled awake and into attack/fear mode by the proximity of the dog’s attack (cats can go from deep sleep to “eat your face” in about .01 second). Nevertheless, the cat’s actions likely saved the boy from a much more serious injury.
The dog has been placed under 10-day observation and then will be put down. It is said to be a lab/chow mix that continued to act aggressively when animal control arrived. Chows are one of the breeds I don’t trust, even though I try my damnedest to avoid breed stereotypes. Of course, if this dog had been fenced or leashed as is probably the law in Bakersville, the incident never would have happened. (I also I don’t condone letting cats roam outdoors.)
In any case, a tip of the hat and a big can of tuna to Tara. And best wishes to Jeremy for a speedy recovery.
Something I don’t understand, Susan: the camera coverage. We’re viewing this from two cameras: how come, do you think …?
I’m thinking the footage is from the family’s house security cameras (which usually cycle between several cameras placed around the house).
Correct. The mother assembled the footage from security cams.
Ah ! – I see. We don’t have such sophisticated setups for domestic environments.
Many thanks !
Have to agree with M-R… the camera coverage makes it look like a setup somehow. Though how or why is a mystery. Agree about Chows, though.
It’s security cam footage. It’s all over the news. I almost adopted a lab/chow mix but decided against it.
Well I didn’t know for sure who would post it but I knew someone would! 🙂
It is quite amazing to see a cat go after a dog like that other than in the act of playing with a dog with which it is familiar. I personally feel it is quite legitimate footage, especially given the camera sources. I’ll say this, it certainly causes me pause to rethink my opinions about the loyalty traits of cats.
I once watched a dog chase a cat up a tree (typical). Then the cat got pissed, jumped down onto the dog’s back, and literally rode it all the way down the block (not typical). I’ll bet that dog never messed with cats again.
Tara is a Warrior! (tip of the hat to Erin Hunter’s books) Feel sure the camera views were spliced to show the sequence of events in order as much as possible; home surveillance systems record multiple camera feeds just as commercial systems now. I hope Jeremy heals quickly and isn’t afraid of all dogs after his experience.
Yes, I’m worried about him developing a fear of dogs from this. He’s autistic, too. I don’t know how all this will resolve for him.
I love my dog, but that cat rules. And I’m glad the dog is being put down. It obviously has issues.
Yes, the attack was completely unprovoked. I’m just appalled that the dog was running loose in the first place.
I think Alan and Karen are probably right about the footage, which I’m fairly surely is legitimate. It could be the homeowners’ cameras or, if it’s a gated community, the POA’s, but it’s pretty obviously security cam footage.
Tara just proves that cats are often misunderstood and do have a very strong instinct to protect their people. I think it goes along with that sense many of them have to comfort/guard us when we’re ill (my boy definitely does that). They’re amazing creatures, and Jeremy and his family are lucky to have such a fierce protector.
Yes, again, it’s security cam footage that the mom assembled later. I’ve no idea what my cat would do. Probably go hide. But scare or corner any cat and it will likely become a formidable ball of claws. Ask the vet how much he likes dealing with my cat!
Great story PT! I didn’t hear about it until this morning’s news, and was in such a hurry to post the video that I hadn’t even noticed you’d done this post. A tip of the hat to Tara indeed! 🙂
I saw it on last night’s news. Wasn’t hard finding the video, was it? 🙂
Not at all!!! 🙂
Apologies everyone. I just reread what I posted and I really botched it, didn’t I? That’s what I get for posting late in the evening. But it’s fixed now. Sorry about the duplicated paragraph. Good thing I’m not still getting paid to edit ….
I knew it would be here – it was all over the news. RC Cat is mulling over a Medal of Extreme Honor to be bestowed.
(That cat looks a bit like granny in younger days. Chows don’t like kids generally…but this attack was carefully planned. glad the owners made the right decision not to fight. Never could trust that dog again.)
I’m sure Tara would be deeply honored to receive such recognition from RC Cat. Peer recognition means so much more than mere human adoration.
Yep, I passed on the part chow because I knew the grandkids would be around. Just couldn’t take the chance.
For the naysayers: Heaven forbid we take a couple of minutes to do a fact check and go to the local newspaper for confirmation….
Dog Attacks Cat – Cat Attacks Dog – World Cheers
Yep, in this case it’s pretty hard to miss the story.