Better pictures of the hero cat (that chased off the dog)

[Liberal_in_LA]

They added that Tara became part of the family in 2008 when she followed them home from a nearby park - and they accepted her into their home, even though Erica is allergic to cats.

She 'really just adopted us from there,' Mrs Triantafilo said.

They named her Tara after 'Zatara', which was the name given to Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo by smugglers. They told him it means driftwood.

'We named her driftwood because she's our little cat that followed us home,' Triantafilo said. 'She's our little driftwood. She's amazing.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2629272/Boy-4-saved-dog-attack-Tara-cat-sleeps-live-interview-parents-reveal-Tara-cat-followed-home-park-slept-crib-baby.html#ixzz31ogw8UWv

[reformist2]

1. Hmm... a guardian angel in cat form??? LOL

[TeeYiYi]

2. They're pulling the same face...

That's funny!



TYY

[PeaceNikki]

3. :)

[myrna minx]

28. Awww- yes, they are.

[StarryNite]

31. The cat has attitude or is it....

cattitude?

Looks like the cat is saying, "Don't f*ck with my boy!"

[Nay]

45. Exactly! "Come any closer, and you're gonna end up like that damn dog."

[Skittles]

62. and it's amazing how much that boy looks like his dad

both very handsome blokes

[ariesgem]

87. That cat is GANGSTA...

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. More on Hero Cat

But Tara’s fame is spreading beyond the realm of viral videos. TMZ reports that the magazine “Cat Fancy” has contacted the Triantafilos about getting Tara to pose for a cover photo, while the Cat Fanciers’ Association plans to present the feisty feline with its first-ever “Hero Cat Award.” Fancy indeed.

Tara can look forward to a life of luxury.

“She’s earned fish for the rest of her life,” Roger Triantafilo said. “Grilled any way she wants.”

http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2014/05/15/heroic-cat-basks-in-fame-as-boy-recovers/

[PeaceNikki]

6. Another :) is in order.

[Starry Messenger]

12. *squee*

[The_Commonist]

37. I have some friends whose cat saved them.

The building was on fire in the middle of the night, and the cat pounced on them to wake them up.
He got fresh shrimp after that every day for the rest of his life!

This cat deserves the same...

[niyad]

58. years ago, a friend was saved by her cat when a man broke into her home and attempted to

rape her. the cat attacked the man and clawed his face and neck terribly. the guy ran, and was arrested in the ER when he went to have the bites and scratches taken care of.

[Merlot]

86. Not fish! If they want to thank the cat there are better ways!

Fish is not good for cats. Just because they love it doesn't make it right. My cats get fish oils or juice on their regular food which enough - cats like the smell more than the taste anyhow.

[shenmue]

5. Yay!

[deutsey]

7. Good for the cat and the family

I can't help but think that this all reminds me of the plot of a movie that Disney would've made in the '70s...with Ken Berry or Dean Jones as the dad and Keenan Wynn or Phil Silvers as the unscrupulous neighbor who was up to no good and is foiled by the cat.

[brooklynite]

14. "That Darn Cat"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059793/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3

Amazingly, there was a remake in 1997, also with Dean Jones.

[xfundy]

16. They made it in the 60s.

"That Darn Cat!" According to Wikipedia:

That Darn Cat! is a 1965 American Walt Disney Productions thriller comedy film starring Hayley Mills in her last of six films she made for the Walt Disney Studios and Dean Jones, starring in his first film for Disney in a story about bank robbers, a kidnapping and a mischievous cat. The film was based on the book Undercover Cat by Gordon and Mildred Gordon and was directed by Robert Stevenson. The title song was written by the Sherman Brothers and sung by Bobby Darin. The 1997 remake featured a cameo appearance by Dean Jones.

[deutsey]

59. Ha ha!

Isn't one of the signs of the End Times that cheesy Disney films will become reality?

[flamingdem]

88. I saw that when it hit theaters

and loved it, thanks for the reminder.

[Warpy]

8. An angry cat is a hairy chainsaw.

I've seen my own cats run dogs off. While dogs will catch and kill cats that run away from them, any cat that turns and fights will discourage most dogs. The injuries a cat inflicts just aren't worth it.

[awoke_in_2003]

41. Especially if they have their front claws...

I am against declawing cats.

[Warpy]

42. Fortunately, fewer and fewer vets will do it

and I think we might be near to having no vets willing to do it. Soft Paws and other brands do just as good a job of preserving the furniture, although the cats wearing them still need to be kept strictly indoors.

[KittyWampus]

54. I saw they have these little claw caps to put on your kitty's claws…

[Fla Dem]

77. I agree about declawing, but just try to get those softclaws on my cat. No Way in hell is

that going to happen. We have a pedicure about once a month. Even then she'll only let me do her front paws. I take her to the vet every few months for the full treatment, front and back.

[Warpy]

84. Yes, I know some cats object strenuously

and they have to be put on by the vet.

I've always been able to do everything with my cats including take their temperatures when they're acting "off." I guess I've just been lucky, the little buggers who have adopted me have all been pretty gentle.

Then again, I was one of those "no nonsense" nurses so maybe that's a factor, too.

[calimary]

65. We had a pretty serious dog once. And Ernie the cat.

The dog had but one encounter with Ernie. We noticed in the aftermath, the dog bore a bead of blood on his nose. Ernie had taught him a serious lesson, and from then on, that dog deferred to Ernie and scrambled out of the way and got very quiet. We called Ernie "the World's Greatest Dog Trainer." Ernie didn't take no shit.

[Warpy]

66. I had a cocker spaniel when I was a kid

and one place we lived was next door to a family with a cat. Well, the spaniel had been in fenced yards or apartments where we walked her a few times a day and didn't know what kind of dog the kitty was and decided to give her a friendly nose up the butt. Well, the cat didn't take it kindly and the spaniel had 4 parallel stripes down her nose, bleeding.

Two weeks later, they were inseparable.

[ariesgem]

74. So true..

My 4 cats figured that out and will put a psychological whammy on my German Shepherd. They will NOT be bullied by my dog. It's like they tell themselves "stand my ground, don't run, and use what nature gave me" when my big dog tries to play/bully them. Here's a sample:

Physically, he could do much damage to my kitties but they put the fear of God in him due to getting wacked on the nose from all of them. My shy cats even jump in on the fun.

[stopwastingmymoney]

81. That's a sweet beautiful dog you have

Smart dogs know that cats will mess you up.

Our Sally looks similar to yours, but with floppy ears, Kitty is the boss in our house.

[ariesgem]

85. Thanks

He's a gentle giant. I love my dog to death, but cats always RULE.

[TinkerTot55]

76. Dear Warpy,

" An angry cat is a hairy chainsaw."
I am so stealing that...thanks!!!

[eggplant]

9. We had a runt of an Abyssinian when I was growing up

He didn't take shit from any dog in the neighborhood. He would regularly back the neighbor's dog (a shepherd, I think) into retreating into its own house, and then our cat would just lay in the middle of their lawn.

Abby's are amazing. He had his front claws removed and wore a bell, and still could climb trees with ease and take down birds, mice, and squirrels just by stalking up to them and smacking them with his front paw. He was the smartest cat I have ever seen, and totally personable.

[DakotaLady]

60. Each and every ...

Abyssinian that comes through ones life is a treasure. Amber I miss you each and every day.

So pleased that the kitty was there to help to this family.

I want to believe he knows this family rescued him years ago.

[eggplant]

10. Then, of course, there's the "angry" cat...

[smokey nj]

30. LOVE that movie!!!!

Thank you!

[William769]

11. kick & recommended.

[Arugula Latte]

13. I wanna smooch her little fuzzy head too!

[trueblue2007]

15. their cat looks like our SALLY

SALLY .... our BOY cat with a girl's name. He is amazing too. he likes to go for walks on his leash.




their cat Tara is a true hero

[trueblue2007]

20. Their story made me cry ... happy tears

It was so wonderful that the cat who loved her boy so much saved his life. I hope she beat that dog up bad.

Sophie (who is in cat heaven now) chased a big labrador who was bothering me. Her hairs (fur) increased in size till she looked about 4 feet wide and 2 feet taller. I swear her tail looked as thick as a MUSCLE on Superman.

She chased that dog and swatted him on the nose. he bled and cried like a school playground bully on THE CHRISTMAS SHOW.




I ..... LOVE ...... CATS !!!!!

[countryjake]

26. And here's another twin...

my little girl, Joey...



Gone now, almost a year. Spunkiest kitty who ever lived.

[Warpy]

43. I knew a guy named Sally years ago

His given name was Salvatore.

[Rex]

17. Cat's don't care about size when it comes to defending their property.

Obviously the large flesh creature outputs lavish pets and hugs and kisses onto Tara. Unlike most dogs, cats remember things long past 5 minutes. Like dogs, cats can be very dangerous when angered. Think tornado with razorblades.

[countryjake]

22. Yes, razorblades!

This hero-cat, Tara, reminds me of my little Joey (looks just like her, too). Joey's nickname was Razorblade and she could move like a tornado, when required. Fearless and loyal, to the end.

Living in a house with three recovered-ferals, one learns very quickly about true cat-nature and their amazing abilities.

[Rex]

33. I had this kitten once...found him in a side alley covered in fleas and nearly dead.

I nursed him back to health (he was so tiny). Much to my frustration, he would want to wander outside the gate at times and would be tormented by two tea cup Chihuahuas that the owners let run around town without a care in the world (had no idea who the owners were, otherwise I would have called animal control and reported them for animal abandonment). He learned to stay inside the fence after they nearly tore him apart.

Fast forward a few years later, one day I happened to notice that the two small dogs were not around anymore. Didn't really think anything of it at the time. Figured perhaps they were run over, the owners moved or something to that effect. NOPE. About a day later I smelt death in my front yard right outside the gate. My cat had killed them both and was in the process of eating them. He had their bodies dragged into a den under thick brush. I wasn't sure he was going to allow me to take them away and bury them at first, but he did.

I feel sorry for those two dogs, they should have never tormented my cat like that, but their deaths must have been horrible. They were very cute dogs. I learned something that day.

Don't fuck with a cat.

[countryjake]

35. Exactly.

I brought my Joey across this country, found her as a tiny starving feral kitten at my folks' homestead. We already had brought in one of our wild cats here, a big muscle-bound adult black cat who would attach herself to your arm if you ever tried to touch her. I had to guard my little razorblade daily, til she grew sharp enough (and fast enough) to ensure that the other kitty wouldn't kill her (and eat her, I'm sure). Hence, came her nickname.

Before we trapped the black cat and brought her inside, she killed and ate anything and everything that had the misfortune of setting foot into her woods. Her old lair back there is still a monument to the destructive powers of a feral cat, the bone yard is what I call it.

I used to whisper to my Joey, "Just wait til you grow up, someday Skagit (the black cat) will gain a healthy respect for you." She never did get very big, but her speed and claws were huge. Like those little dogs that your kitty eventually took care of, Skagit found out soon enough not to fuck around with razor blades.

Skagit is very old and feeble now, but she still growls and sits salivating at the window, whenever our neighbor lets his yapping little Shih Tzu run loose. I've warned him that if our cat could get out, she'd rip his throat out and have him for supper, ha!

[abelenkpe]

18. Awwwwww

Hope that cat and his humans have a long happy healthy life together. Such an awesome story.

[IcyPeas]

19. I love this story. /eom

[7962]

21. Ladies, never trust a man who hates cats but LOVES dogs!

I dont mean somebody who just doesnt care for them, someone who will actually SAY "I hate cats"

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. There is only one thing that has really been bugging me with this wonderful story...

Who the heck was filming instead of setting down the phone to rescue that poor child?!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

25. Multiple security cameras mounted

Later spliced by, presumably, the news station.

[ScreamingMeemie]

29. Ahhhh... Makes sense. Thanks!

[temporary311]

27. No one was filming.

They were security cameras.

[totodeinhere]

50. It might have happened so fast that the camera operator had no time

to react. I'm not sure.

[think4yourself]

83. It looks like Mom

was just a few feet away watering plants. She comes running over ALMOST as fast as the cat! They just spliced all the security camera footage together so it really tells the story.

[UtahLib]

24. Great story!

That face says "don't mess with my boy".

[tofuandbeer]

32. Unbelievably awesome story!

[Louisiana1976]

34. Wonderful cat. K&R

[tavernier]

36. Our cat would wake me when the baby

was getting ready for his night time feeding. I had a few minutes to prepare before the actually wailing started. 😄

Then when we were partying on the patio and the kid was older and climbed out of his crib, the cat snitched him out by scratching on the screen door.

She was our Mary Poppins. 😄😄😺

[tblue37]

38. The child needs to learn not to drag cats by their front legs

(in the video those stills are from, he does). And the adults there during the filming need to learn to respect a cat's wish to leave instead of dragging her back and forcing her to allow the kid to handle her in a way she clearly does not want after a certain point.

Allowing a small child to improperly handle a cat could get the child badly bitten or clawed, and if that happened, the cat would be dumped at the shelter and quite possibly put down as "dangerous," despite her hero turn in this incident.

I hope the mishandling of the cat shown in this video is just something they did for the news cameras rather than the way the adults normally handle her and allow the child to handle her.

The cat attacked the dog for coming into her territory, not necessarily to save the boy, though I am glad she saved the child. That dog was seriously trying to tear the poor kid up.

I hate people who let their dogs run loose like that. Not only do the dogs endanger children, other pets, and other people, but once the dog has attacked a person, especially a child, the dog is likely to end up killed.

And of course even dogs who don't attack can be hurt, killed, or lost if allowed to run loose.

I wonder whether that dog has been a problem before in that neighborhood.

[totodeinhere]

51. So you seriously think that they would take that cat to a shelter after what

happened? The cat saved their child from a vicious mauling and then as a thank you they take it to a shelter. I doubt that very seriously. That cat will live like a queen for the rest of her life as well she should. That's my prediction.

[tblue37]

53. They are grateful to her--and properly so. But if she were to

seriously bite or claw the child because he manhandled her? Who knows. But a parent who is concerned for her child's well-being would not keep the cat if it seriously hurt the child. Maybe they would find it another home--but a lot of people just don't want to go to that much trouble.

I am always concerned when I see adults allowing a child to mishandle an animal, especially one with sharp edges.

I love animals, so I like to see them properly and respectfully handled. And I am very protective toward children, so I hate to see them handle animals in a way that could get them clawed or bitten.

[lululu]

63. nominated for most clueless post in a thread.

[yawnmaster]

57. oh please. The fact is that that family knows that cat better than any of us know...

it. It appears to be a very mellow cat around the family. It could have escaped the father and the video guy anytime, but it was respecting the family's need to hold it, by only squirming a bit.
And with regards to attacking only because it was guarding territory...you don't know and it is more likely that is did attack the dog because the boy was there. It still may be territorial, yes, but because the boy was there, the cat's territory was extended to at least that point.
Many cats know they are part of a family.
A side note, it has been theorized that cats self domesticated as they do so well with humans.

[Tarheel_Dem]

39. K&R!

[Uncle Joe]

40. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Liberal_in_LA.

[840high]

44. me2 k/r

[MJJP21]

46. I saw the video.

It appears to be staged. No parent is videotaping by chance all angles while a strange dog is nearby and close to their autistic child. Then the parent or someone else is still videotaping while the mother appears to get involved. Sorry to blow everyones good feelings but that is the way it looks to me.

[Greywing]

47. They have surveillance cameras ... the video is actually surveillance video

[Ikonoklast]

49. Those were taken by digital security cameras.

The police and other LEO involved have taken the matter very seriously indeed, as two people were bitten by that dog, the child and the mother both.


The way it looks to me is that you did not read the story at all, just formed an opinion based on...vapor.

[yawnmaster]

55. Your perception is incorrect. eom

[MJJP21]

68. Sorry

but both having both security cameras mounted at people level and pointing to both sides of the car and catching this unbelievable moment is well unbelievable. You watch the video. You don't mount security cameras to focus on about 60 square feet unless you expect something to happen.

[FlaGranny]

69. Um, yes, like the

car directly in the middle of the video cannot be the focus. Could it be that the cameras were meant to focus on the car? It's not like no one ever tries to vandalize or steal a car.

[yawnmaster]

78. people level? you mean 7 or 8 feet tall people?? of course one would likely have cameras pointed...

towards the driveway. and they probably have other cameras that weren't shown.
I have cameras and with at least two of them one can see the driveway and the car.
and 60 square feet is less than an 8 feet x 8 feet area. those cameras covered much much more than that.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

48. Awwwwwwwww!

Hi ho Kitty!!!!! Awayyyyy!!!!!!!

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

[The Second Stone]

52. Female cats will defend their young

and their territory, male cats will defend their territory. Territory is something they will back down over when the opponent is much bigger or meaner. Kittens are not negotiable.

[DesertDiamond]

56. I've heard that we're born into some lifetimes for the purpose of saving someone to whom we owe

a debt of gratitude. That boy and that cat have met in other lifetimes.

[reformist2]

70. That's a cool way to look at it... those two certainly have an extraordinary bond!

[rufus dog]

61. I was impressed by the kid too

After the cat administers the ass kicking I expected the kid to go running into the house or crying to his Mom. He ran away a few steps then turned around like he was going to protect his cat from the dog.

[blkmusclmachine]

64. Go, kitty, go!

[nikto]

67. That's a Kung-Fu cat

[davidpdx]

71. I love that kitty

She's so adorable

[toby jo]

72. Kitty's got the eye, she does.

That dog's sure got issues. Not being directly teased, or having its' territory encroached - it just leaps out to a blind spot and attacks. I know they had it quarantined, it'll probably be put down. I wouldn't want it for a neighbor, even fenced in. One attack is all it takes.

[meow2u3]

73. It's not the size of the dog in the fight..

It's the size of the fight in the cat.

Tara, you're my hero, too.

[City Lights]

75. Three cheers for Tara!

[demigoddess]

79. not unusual IMO

my cat used to escort me whenever I had to walk past a house with three big dogs in the yard. I thought he was just going with me. Later on I saw him beat up an Irish setter that was chasing him. My cat had no claws so I was amazed.

The dog in the video was stalking the boy as soon as he saw or smelled him. That dog is dangerous and should be put down.

[Arugula Latte]

80. I'm so glad a kitty is getting positive publicity.

I get so sick of all the pro-dog, anti-cat crap we're fed day after day (in popular culture, kids' movies are particularly awful).

[tridim]

82. ...