Tara The Hero Cat Awarded 'National Hero Dog'

Tara the Hero Cat has been given the most fitting honor possible: the National Hero Dog Award.In breaking with over thirty years of tradition embedded in the award's name, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) bestowed the honor upon the Bakersfield cat who saved her 6-year old owner's life.

In May of last year, Jeremy Triantafilo was suddenly attacked by a neighbor's dog while playing on his family's driveway. Jeremy needed only stitches on his leg thanks to Tara coming out of nowhere, ninja-style, and swatting the dog away. The attack was captured on the Triantafilo's family security cameras, and Jeremy's dad Roger uploaded the video to YouTube to much viral success.

"We were so impressed by Tara's bravery and fast action that the selection committee decided that a cat this spectacular should be the National Hero Dog," said spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein. "A cat who was abused, forgotten, or neglected by her family would not have been as likely to perform selfless, heroic acts to save her companion."

According to Roger, Jeremy and Tara are inseparable. "She gets along fine with our dog, Maya. But if Jeremy falls off his bike, she comes running. If he starts crying, she comes running," he told the AP.

The dog that attacked Jeremy was later euthanized.

For her good deed, Tara won a year's supply of cat food. And the trophy she won had the word "dog" scratched out and "cat" written in.

Good dog!