A brave cat by the name of Tigger was caught on camera chasing a black bear away from his home in North Vancouver.
Tigger’s owner Gavin Sturrock got the fright of his life when he walked out of his front door and saw that his two-year-old Bengal cat was facing off with a huge black bear.
A tense standoff
According to his owner, Tigger has a reputation in their neighborhood for chasing away other cats, and dogs of any size from his property.
But, no one could have predicted that this fearless feline would be willing to take on a bear to protect his home. Gavin Sturrock recounted the shocking incident to CTV News days after it happened, saying:
“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,”
Sturrock was in for an even greater shock when he realized that his beloved cat Tigger was facing off with the huge bear, ready to take him on no matter the danger. He shared the shocking moment, saying:
“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.”
A hasty retreat
In a video that Sturrock captured of the startling incident and posted to his TikTok, Tigger can be seen arching his back and taking on a threatening stance as he moves toward the approaching bear.
Frightened for his pet, Sturrock calls out to Tigger and implores him to stand down, but too focused on his task of ridding their driveaway of this pesky bear, Tigger continues advancing.
Shockingly, as Tigger moves toward the large bear at speed, the bear is seen to turn and run away from the feline. Thinking better of trying to take on this threatening pussycat the black bear hastily retreats, running back to where he came from.
Never been so scared
Gavin Sturrock’s brother Cam also witnessed the incredible showdown between bear and cat and shared that the frightening episode shook him to the core, saying:
“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,”
“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.”
Beware the bears
Vancouver has been on high alert this Summer as there have been many black bears sighted wandering into neighborhoods in recent months.
A lack of salmonberries in the nearby woods has been blamed for inciting the bears to seek nourishment beyond their usual grazing areas.
One thing is for sure, no neighborhood is in danger of a bear attack if Tigger is near!