After video of cat saving their son went viral, the Triantafilo family speaks out

Yesterday, video of a cat saving a little boy from a dog attack went incredibly viral.

Now, the family is speaking out, and we know that the cat is named Tara ... and that the brave little boy is 4-year-old Jeremy.

KERO has footage of the incident, which was caught on surveillance video from the family's home.



You can see Tara the cat charging at the dog to keep Jeremy out of harm's way.

Thursday, the Triantafilo family -- including Jeremy, parents Roger and Erica and Tara herself -- sat down for an interview on the "Today" show. Tara even contributed to the conversation.

"All our boys love her and pick on her occasionally."

Throughout the interview, it was clear the Triantafilos are still surprised that their pet turned out to be such a hero.

"It was pretty amazing to see just a cat take on a dog and so selflessly just put herself out there and not worry about if she was going to get bit."

According to KERO, Tara was a stray who followed Roger and Erica around before they adopted her six years ago. The parents say her actions were unexpected because she's normally a mellow cat.

During the station's interview, Tara sits in a chair with Jeremy and patiently allows him to pet and kiss her face.

Jeremy received 10 stitches for the wounds on his calf, and his mom told the Today anchors "he's just ready to get out there and run around and play with the other kids again."