Hero Cat Video

Has a heroic cat in a viral video dealt a serious blow to one of the most common stereotypes about felines?

A video posted to YouTube on May 14, which has since gone worldwide-bonkers, shows a dog attacking young Jeremy Triantafilo, who’s playing in his driveway. The dog drags the child from his bike, gnawing at his leg.

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But out of nowhere comes Tara, the family cat. Tara proceeds to tackle/push the much bigger dog out of bounds at the 50-yard line (no whistle on the play). Tara even pursues the dog a bit farther, to make sure it has left the area (10-yard penalty for showboating?).

Tara’s behavior raises an interesting question. Why did she do it? We all know the standard, popular culture line on cats, happily trafficked whenever possible by “dog people”: Cats are aloof, self-interested creatures that will sidle up to anyone who becomes their food source. It’s about them, not you.

“Cat people,” of course, will beg to differ, perhaps with good reason. Does Tara’s rumble in the driveway suggest that a deeper, more protective bond is possible between a cat and its owners than common belief would have it?

According to veterinarian and animal behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin, if you were to ignore Tara’s history with the family, then it would be “most likely that the cat was being territorial, protecting itself and its own territory rather than specifically protecting the child.”