Cat earns US animal shelter's 'hero dog' award

Tara the cat saw off a neighbour's dog after it attacked her six-year-old owner as he was riding his bike

Tara the cat fought off the dog after it attacked her six-year-old neighbour (Youtube)

A US animal shelter has given its 'hero dog' award to a cat after she saved a six-year-old boy from an attack by a neighbour's dog.

Tara the cat fought off the dog after it attacked Jeremy Triantafilo as he was riding his bicycle in his parents' driveway.

The dog grabbed the boy by his leg and began to shake him, but in the next moment Tara slammed into the dog and then chased him away.

Reports of the incident said that Jeremy required eight stitches after the attack.

Footage caught on security cameras, posted on YouTube by Roger Triantafilo, Jeremy's father, has been popular online, with over 912,000 views to date.

The attack occurred in May 2014.