BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A family's cat captured in a viral video saving a Central California boy from a dog attack has another challenge ahead, but this time from the pitcher's mound.

Dan Besbris of the Bakersfield Blaze minor league baseball team said Friday that the cat named Tara will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the next home game. Besbris won't reveal how they expect to pull off the stunt, hoping to heighten interest. He says Tara has already proven she's exceptional.

The video shows the 4-year-old in front of his family's Bakersfield home when the neighbour's dog bites his leg and violently shakes him. Tara darts in, pouncing on the dog, which runs away.

The boy's father, Roger Triantafilo, says Tara, who followed him home one night, is the family's hero.