'You think I could do that to a bear?' B.C. brothers awed by pet cat after caught-on-camera face-off
The Sturrock brothers describe their cat Tigger – a two-year-old Bengal – as a "ferocious beast" who stares down and scares off even the largest neighbourhood dogs. But last week, the fearless feline took things to a whole new level.
Gavin walked out of his home in North Vancouver, carrying boxes to the car for an upcoming trip out of a town for a Nerf gun war when he saw a black bear in the driveway.
"Imagine opening your door, taking a few steps outside and seeing a bear like right in front of you. That's exactly what happened to me," he tells CTV News.
"It took me more time to notice my cat. I looked to the right and I saw my cat just standing there facing off against the bear. The bear was walking toward my cat, my cat was walking toward the bear."
He tried calling to the cat, saying Tigger can be obedient on occasion. He even tried reasoning with his pet, telling Tigger he was outmatched by the massive animal and would surely lose a fight if he started one.
"He didn't listen to me, obviously."
'YOU THINK I COULD DO THAT TO A BEAR?'
That's when he started filming, and a snippet he later posted to TikTok has since been shared hundreds of times. Gavin describes what it shows.
"Tigger, he stood his ground and then the bear stepped back. And then the bear turned around, did a full 180 and Tigger chased after him. I was so relieved," he says.
"He protected me. You think I could do that to a bear? I mean I'm bigger, I'm human, but I don't think I could. It's crazy."
When Gavin's brother, Cam, also carrying an armful of stuff to take to the car, walked out of the house he says he was shocked into silence.
"I've never been so close to a bear in my entire life. It was really crazy. I was so scared and then Tigger just walked up to the bear slowly, slowly, slowly," he says.
"I was so scared, I thought Tigger would get hurt, but he managed to stand his ground and chase the bear off. I've never been that scared in my life."
After the bear turned tail, Gavin scooped Tigger up and took him back into the house.
Both brothers note that Tigger didn't start off as a feisty, daring pet. Instead, he was very sick when the family brought him home as a kitten, suffering from feline infectious peritonitis. The virus is often fatal but the brothers say an experimental treatment cured their cat.
"He was sick for a long time but then he got better, he actually overcame it. He went from being a super sick cat to becoming a full-on bear chaser," Cam says.
The bear hasn’t been back to the home since its encounter with Tigger last Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.