Watch A Cat Save A Child From A Dog Attack

The world has been flipped on its head: Last Tuesday in California, it was not a cat that needed to be rescued, but a cat that did all the rescuing. A surveillance video caught footage of a neighbor's dog viciously attacking 4-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo and saw Triantafilo's family cat racing to boy's rescue, possibly saving the child's life. And you thought you could only use cats to re-enact The Lion King.

This kitty re-establishes a good reputation for cats, which was in serious disrepair after an angry 22-pound Himalayan cat trapped its owners in their bedroom, prompting a panicked (and retrospectively hilarious) 911 call. But the Triantafilo family feline, Tara, channeled her aggression into much more appropriate, and certainly more helpful, behavior.

While cats are not generally thought of as the most loyal of all pets, Tara is quickly making a name for herself as a neighborhood hero. Capitalizing on speedy reactions and those sharp little claws, Tara managed to drive away the aggressive canine, preventing it from inflicting further injury on her beloved human-child. As a result, the little Jeremy only had to face a few stitches for the dog bite on his leg, and father Roger Triantafilo, who posted the video of the cat's heroic actions, wrote, "Thankfully, my son is fine!"

A play-by-play of what transpired...

It's a warm California day...

Jeremy was riding his bike at around 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday. Just minding his own business, hanging out on his driveway.

But on the other side of the fence...

A dog's ears perk up, and he goes running.

The dog makes its way towards the boy...

The dog approaches the Triantafilo family car.

The dog trails the boy...

Looking innocent enough, the dog seems to just be in the mood for some good ol' fashioned fetch or other human attention.

The dog attacks

In a viciously aggressive move, the dog bites and drags Jeremy from his bicycle in a terrifying and rapid attack.

But wait!

On the left side of the tree is the dog, and on the right is Tara the supercat.

Have no fear, Tara is here!

All in under a second, Tara races to Jeremy's defense, tackling the dog and pushing it away from the child.

The dog takes off...

Clearly terrified by Tara, the dog turns to run just as the Jeremy's mother comes running to the scene. Had Tara not intervened however, the adults may have taken too long to reach him and prevent further injury.

And while the little boy is attended to...

Hell hath no fury like an angry cat, and Tara races after the dog to exact her revenge. No seriously, she went after him.

Until Tara was satisfied that the dog was off the Triantafilo property...

At which point she hightailed it back home to check on her human.

And he's fine, thanks to Tara.

Well that was a jam-packed 24 seconds. The full video, posted by the family, shows rather graphic images of the full extent of the little boy's wounds, which his mother says required 10 stitches. But without Tara, the situation might have been much worse. Jeremy said of his pet, which has been with the family since 2008, "Tara is my hero." And if that doesn't win Tara the Cat of the Year award, we don't know what will.

Images: Roger Triantafilo/Youtube