A family cat kicked some major mean-dog butt while saving its 4-year-old buddy, and the video has made Tara so famous she now gets to throw out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game.

Little Jeremy Triantafilo was riding his bike in his family’s driveway in Bakersfield, Calif. when a neighborhood dog came after the boy from behind and grabbed him by his leg.

The dog was dragging Jeremy down the family’s driveway by his leg when his cat, Tara, came out of nowhere and plowed into the dog, scaring it away.

“Tara is my hero,” Jeremy said Wednesday afternoon.

Jeremy’s dad, Roger Triantafilo, posted home surveillance video of the cat’s heroics on YouTube Wednesday morning, and by the end of the day, the post had nearly 4.5 million views.

Jeremy’s mother, Erika Triantafilo, told CNN, “Well he just got off the bus and it was kind of breezy and he wanted to fly a kite. And we tried to get it up with no success. And he was just playing outside a little bit, and I was watering some plants before we headed on in. The next thing I know, the dog was just there, and it was shaking him. Before I could even get there, my cat clobbered him. She saved the day. Chased him away, and came back to him after the dog was gone. I just chased the dog away — tried to get it away from my son – away from everyone, and get him taken care of.”

Is Hero Cat's family SUING the attack dog's owners? http://t.co/XezLMZKAwI pic.twitter.com/vtyT8i84ov

— TMZ (@TMZ) May 16, 2014

Hero cat Tara will now throw the first pitch (with her paw?) at the minor league baseball game http://t.co/HmoFZOScH7 pic.twitter.com/RggS40Cuqp

— The Independent (@Independent) May 16, 2014

Tara the #herocat to "throw" out first pitch at minor league baseball game http://t.co/CPFfwvuk2S pic.twitter.com/zV7ZfhHf3b

— KRON 4 News (@kron4news) May 16, 2014

When asked about her first thoughts when she saw the dog with her son, the grateful mom said it completely took her by surprise.

“The first thing, I didn’t even realize the dog had my son by his legs. I figured he had his pants or something else. Just Tara happened so fast, out of nowhere. I didn’t even really know what had happened until afterwards when my husband showed me our surveillance video and said “our cat saved our son.” It was truly amazing. She’s my hero.”

Image via YouTube