Tara (cat)

Tara
Born Zatara (Tara for short)
(2008-04-18) April 18, 2008
Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Occupation Hero
Years active 2014–present

Tara “The Hero Cat”, or Zatara,[1] is a female family cat living in California, US, who came to worldwide attention after rescuing her caretakers' child from being attacked by a neighbor's dog. The moment was caught on household surveillance videos and became a worldwide sensation, featuring on websites and televised news across the globe.[2][3] The footage uploaded on YouTube[4] attracted over 16.8 million views in the first 48 hours.

Early life

Tara joined the Triantafilo family in 2008 after she followed Jeremy's parents to their home. The name Tara was the pet form of 'Zatara', the name smugglers gave to Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo. The smugglers said it meant driftwood.[1][5]

Rise to fame

On May 13, 2014, four-year-old Jeremy Triantafilo was riding his bicycle in his family's driveway in Bakersfield, California, when a neighborhood dog, described as an 8-month-old Labrador and Chow mix,[6] came from behind and viciously attacked him on his leg. The dog was violently pulling Jeremy down his driveway when Tara bolted to the rescue, throwing herself at the much larger dog and chasing it away, then returning to Jeremy's side. Jeremy needed 10 stitches in his left leg (calf) following the attack, but mounted a swift recovery.[7]

A few days later, local league baseball team the Bakersfield Blaze invited the cat, assisted by Jeremy's family, to throw the first pitch at a Bakersfield minor league baseball game in Sam Lynn Ballpark as a recognition for her deed.[8][9][10][11] In the same spirit, Cat Fanciers' Association announced Tara the recipient of its first-ever Cat Hero Award.[12][13]

Tara became the first non-human to be named the grand marshal for Bakersfield's Christmas parade in 2014.[14]

On June 3, 2014, the Bakersfield Board of Supervisors proclaimed June 3 Tara the Hero Cat Day[5]

On August 15, 2014, Tara was awarded the SPECIAL AWARD FOR CAT ACHIEVEMENT by the Cat Vid Festival [15]

On September 26, 2014, Tara was awarded the Blue Tiger Award; an award only awarded to Military service dogs.[16]

On June 19, 2015, Tara was awarded with the Los Angeles SPCA's "Hero Dog" award, for which she also won a year's supply of cat food.[17]

Records

First video in YouTube history to reach 20 million views in 5 days.[18]

Debuted as the 22nd most influential cat on the internet.[19]

Fate of the dog

Scrappy,[20] an approximately 8-month-old Labrador-Chow mix was surrendered by its owners to the City of Bakersfield Animal Care Center later on May 13, when it began a mandatory 10-day quarantine period to determine whether the animal had rabies.

After the video of heroic Tara the cat went viral, most people agreed the dog should be put down, but some of them did not. Websites and online petitions popped up urging the dog be saved[21] and calls have flooded the phones at the Bakersfield Animal Care Center, according to director Julie Johnson. Despite this, based on the observations in the kennel during the quarantine period, the dog remained classified as a “vicious” and “dangerous” animal. Therefore, adoption requests were strictly denied.[22]

At the end of the mandatory 10-day quarantine period, Scrappy was euthanized despite opposition from animal groups and online petitioners. The infamous dog "was humanely euthanized over the weekend," (May 24, 2014) according to Animal Care Center Director Julie Johnson – who noted the incident has ended far from quietly.[7][20]

References

  1. 1 2 The Story of Tara
  2. ↑ "Tara the hero cat video goes viral". CBS News. May 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Cat saves boy from dog attack: 'She's a hero!' says child of his pet Tara". The Independent. May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ "My Cat Saved My Son". YouTube. May 14, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Happy Tara Day! Hero cat who saved boy from dog attack gets her own HOLIDAY". Mail Online. June 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Dog vanquished by hero cat is put down". New York Post. May 28, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Dog chased away by hero cat Tara is euthanized". The Bakersfield Californian. May 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Tara the cat uses charm offensive on Blaze". BakersfieldCalifornian.com. May 20, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Tara the hero cat will 'throw out' first pitch at a minor league game". LA Times. May 17, 2014. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Tara the Hero Cat ‘throws’ out first pitch at minor-league game". The Washington Post. May 21, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Saviour cat Tara in California gets baseball 'offer'". BBC News. May 17, 2014. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Tara, the Hero Cat, Receives Offers to Appear on Magazine Covers". Softpedia. May 16, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Hero Cat: Call the Groomer ... Cover Photo Shoot in Works". TMZ. May 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Her Santa claws out, Tara the cat is Christmas parade's marshal". The Bakersfield Californian. November 28, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Walker Art Center Internet Cat Video Festival Golden Kitty Awarded to 8 Signs of Addiction". Walker Art Center. August 14, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Tara "The Hero Cat" to receive Blue Tiger Award in Bakersfield Sept. 26, 2014". 23ABC News. September 23, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Cat Wins 'Hero Dog' Award". NPR. June 19, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Hero Cat Set Viral Video Record". The List. June 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ Friskies® 50 Most Influential Cats
  20. 1 2 "Dog That Was Chased Away by Heroic Cat Has Been Put Down". Time. May 26, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Online petitions ask that California dog be spared". The News-Times (Danbury, CT). May 21, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Calls come in to adopt dog that attacked boy; shelter says no". The Bakersfield Californian. May 16, 2014.

External links

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