Yesterday I posted a video which has gone viral of an ordinary family domestic cat charging at a dog that was mauling a boy. Having thought about the video I felt it necessary to write a bit more about it but not just about what we can see in the video (which is impressive) but what must have been in the mind of the domestic cat at the time. I believe that this video sheds some light on the emotional connection between domestic cat and human caretaker. It may go further than that because this was a boy being attacked by a dog and you wonder whether the cat would have done the same thing for the boy’s father if he was being attacked by a dog.
http://youtu.be/C-Opm9b2WDk
This happened in Bakersfield, CA. The father of the boy says this:
“My cat defends my son during a vicious dog attack and runs the dog off before he can do additional damage. Thankfully, my son is fine.”
It is almost as if the cat and boy had a particularly strong friendship and the cat perceived the boy as being vulnerable, requiring protection as if the boy was her sibling (or son, dare I say it). There is such a huge amount of commitment in the cat’s determination to stop the dog. You can sense the emotional motivation behind the cat’s actions.
The cat behaves exactly as a person would have behaved. In fact, as mentioned previously, the cat behaves like the boy’s father or mother. He is taking on a protective, fatherly or motherly role — I have a feeling the cat is female and taking on a mother in defence of offspring role. I’m not sure that, if the boy had a brother of a similar age, that he would have done what this cat did.
Update: Please see an extended version of the mother/kitten theory – the boy’s father has said there is a close bond between cat and son which developed from the beginning of the son’s life. The cat is tabby and white female. Here name is Tara.
I would like to know a bit more about the relationship between the boy and the cat. Judging by what the father has said it appears that there was no special relationship between cat and boy or it was not apparent to anybody that there was a special relationship.
It is hard not to come to the conclusion that this brave, courageous and committed cat perceived the boy as her child, her offspring! That might sound ridiculous to some people but perhaps the cat was part of the family when the boy was born. We have seen quite a few videos of cats becoming very connected to babies. This is something that might have happened in this instance.
I’m just speculating. I feel that the content of the video needs to be discussed in the light of cat behaviour and cat mentality rather than simply about the raw actions of the cat. It is not often that we are able to shed clear light upon the mentality of a cat in respect of his or her relationship with human family members.
Yes, I heard something similar. I suppose they have decided the attack was unprovoked making the dog dangerous. Shame for all concerned.
‘A neighbor who owns the dog was bit while trying to get the dog back in its yard. The dog was quarantined at Bakersfield Animal Control, and a police spokesman said the dog will be euthanized’
http://www.ksbw.com/news/central-california/heroic-cat-saves-boy-from-vicious-dog-in-bakersfield/25978094
Yes I’d say that cat’s emotions were like a mothers who would do anything to protect her child.
I think a person seeing someone he/she loves in danger doesn’t think of their own safety, we just feel the need to rescue the victim. I think the cat felt like that, she could have been badly hurt if the dog had turned on her but she didn’t think of herself. She looked so fierce that the dog just ran. What an amazingly brave cat.
I’m glad cats are getting some good press for a change, people say their claws can cause damage but they certainly don’t cause as much damage as an out of control dog can!
Homer the blind cat jumped on a burglar in Gwen’s home. Scared him off too.
I’m hearing now the dog will be euthanized. Too. Tired to track that one down. Let me know if you hear anything.
Amazing story was on the news tonite great to see a cat save his human brought happy tears to my eyes. Great story how the cat came into their lives after she followed the couple home after dating she said if he follows this far we can keep him. So i reckon that cat knew they were good people 🙂 i reckon that cat knew what was happening when the dog attacked amazing story i believe the story has gone worldwide what a great story 🙂