A family cat saved a boy being attacked by a stray dog, and video of the heroic rescue is now going viral.
The amazing incident from Bakersfield, California, was captured on the family’s home surveillance video. In the footage, the young boy is seen riding a small bike in the driveway. His movements catch the attention of a stray dog, which sneaks behind the family’s car and then lunges at the boy, grabbing his leg.
That is when the cat sprang into action. As the dog bit into the boy’s leg and tried to drag him away, the cat came flying onto the scene and attacked the dog.
The dog let go of the boy’s leg, but the family cat, Tara, wasn’t done there. She continued to chase the dog from the family’s house, and once the dog was far enough away the cat turned back to see if the boy was hurt.
A video of the incident was uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday under the title “My Cat Saved My Son,” and went instantly viral. It quickly became the most popular post on the link-sharing site Reddit, garnering thousands of user votes within an hour.
It was also picked up by media outlets across the country and shared across social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
The mother of the boy said the dog that attacked belongs to a neighbor, and is now under observation.
This is not the first time a cat has laid down its life to save others. In Florida, a mother cat suffered BB gun shots to the head while protecting her litter, standing down a deranged attacker and never leaving her kittens.
Another pet cat was caught on video in 2010 chasing down a giant alligator that it believed was threatening its owner.
The boy saved by the heroic cat was able to escape the dog attack with just some cuts, and his mother said after getting a few stitches the boy is doing fine.