The feline that ended the war between cats and dogs

by TED RALL


The Internet took notice recently of a "hero cat" that pounced on and drove off a dog that attacked a 4-year-old boy in Bakersfield. Sadly, the boy required 10 stitches to his leg.


Television networks around the globe showcased images of the large tabby mix being petted, scratched and generally coddled as a reward for his behavior. The cat was even invited to "throw out” the first pitch at a baseball game for the Bakersfield Blaze, a minor league club.

What happened on that suburban driveway was probably better explained by the psychological theory of "transferred aggression," but the Internet and the media went with the anthropomorphized "hero cat" instead.

Now comes the news that the dog, an 8-month-old Labrador-Chow mix, has been euthanized at the request of local authorities.

If I were a nicer person, which means not a cartoonist or not a cats rule/dogs drool person, I probably would have given a silent "huh" or "too bad" — because, truly, for the dog's owner, this really is awful — and scrolled to the next story.

Since those qualifiers don't apply to me, I came up with this cartoon instead.

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http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-rall-tara-hero-cat-20140530-story.html