



A family in Bakersfield, Calif., is giving their cat extra special treats today after she was captured on tape chasing away a neighbor's dog that had attacked their son.

Roger Triantafilo said his son Jeremy, 4, was riding his bike Tuesday outside the family home when the dog bit him on his left leg.

Their cat, Tara, pounced on the dog, chased him away and then stayed with the injured boy while his mother, Erika Triantafilo, who was nearby, got help.

The boy suffered two lacerations and needed sutures.

Roger said that he and Erika got a surprise when they checked the surveillance camera footage around their house and saw what Tara had done.

"We both gasped and said 'Holy cow!' Roger told ABC News today. "We couldn't believe that happened."

"To have her - with no regard for her own life - fly at the dog to protect [Jeremy]," Erika said. "I've never seen anything like that."

After they uploaded the video on YouTube, the two said they started getting calls from Georgia to New York. The dog was voluntarily taken to an animal shelter for observation.

Roger said Tara, who followed the parents home from a park in 2008, had bonded with Jeremy because he was the firstborn. The couple also have a set of twins.

Roger said Jeremy and Tara shared a bond and that the cat even used to sleep in his crib.

"My hero!" Jeremy said about Tara.

ABC News' David Wright, Erin Keohane and Maggy Patrick contributed to this story.