Pets

12:10 PM PT -- Tara's owners were just on TMZ Live ... and explained why they're not suing their neighbors. They also talked about Jeremy's recovery from the attack.

You gotta see the kid ... he's cute as hell.

The owners of the dog that mauled the boy who was miraculously saved by his cat have just gotten away with metaphorical murder ... because they'll have to pay next to nothing and they've dodged a lawsuit.

Erica and Roger Triantafilo tell TMZ ... their insurance will cover almost the entire medical bill, so the only thing they want from the dog owners is the deductible -- $155!!!

The attack -- now seen 'round the world -- could have turned into a wrongful death case were it not for the pet cat, Tara, which chased the dog away. As it stands, the injuries little Jeremy suffered were serious. And Erica tells us ... she too was bit on the leg as she tried to save her son.

Erica says her family is not looking to punish their neighbors. In fact, she says they're still friends.

As for the dog ... it will be destroyed.

Bullet dodged.

Hero Cat's bravery while saving that little boy made her an instant celebrity ... and now she's wanted for magazines, award shows, and much more.

Just hope HC doesn't go the Farrah Abraham route -- that kitty porn industry's a bitch. MEOW.

Hero Cat -- the feline who fought off a ferocious dog to protect a child -- is gettin' called up to the minors ... and will THROW OUT the first pitch at a minor league baseball game next week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Bakersfield Blaze -- the Class A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds -- has reached out to the cat's people hoping to get Tara (that's her name) to make the ceremonial first pitch at a game next week.

A rep for the team tells us ... the owner of the cat ACCEPTED THE OFFER ... and Tara (along with the boy she saved) will take the mound to throw out the first pitch on May 20th.

Unclear who will actually throw the ball (hopefully the cat!!) ... but we'll be sure to post the footage as soon as it goes down.

Congrats!

Hero Cat is suddenly the Kate Upton of the pet world -- getting offers to appear on magazine covers and receive some fancy awards ... TMZ has learned.

Hero -- real name Tara -- became an Internet superstar thanks to that awesome video of her rescuing her owner's young boy from a vicious dog attack ... and now Cat Fancy (aka feline Vogue) wants a piece of her.

A rep for Cat Fancy mag tells us they desperately want Tara on an upcoming cover -- and they're even sweetening the offer ... to let her owners write an article to go with the photo spread.

And there's this ... Cat Fanciers' Association says it plans to present Tara with its first-ever Cat Hero Award at its upcoming awards show. Tara's owners haven't respond to either offer yet.

11:34 AM PT -- We're told the dog was picked up Tuesday by animal control -- in an extremely aggressive state -- and a decision has been made to euthanize the animal.

Let's be honest, most cats don't do squat, but this feline from Bakersfield,CA is the exception ... after it ran to the aid of a young boy being attacked by a dog ... and scared the vicious animal away. MEOW!!!!

Check out this surveillance video from Tuesday afternoon ... you can see the boy riding his bike in front of the home when the dog comes around from behind an SUV and drags the boy off his tricycle by his leg.

The dog wrestles with the boy's leg for just a few moments until the HERO CAT comes flying in ... knocking the dog off the boy before chasing the canine away.

The boy's parents say he needed a few stitches after the attack (you can see his injuries below) but overall, he's doing fine. According to local reports, the dog belonged to a neighbor and is now under investigation.

Tyga decided to go HUGE for his latest music video -- hiring a 45-year old elephant for a cameo ... which was a great idea up until she peed and turned Hollywood into Niagara Falls.

But when working with animals ya gotta remember -- #1 is only half as bad as #2!

All dogs go to Heaven ... and now one more rambunctious canine has checked into the big puppy bowl in the sky -- Tyler the Swamp dog.

Tyler's owner Janet Mitchell -- "Swamp People" star Bruce Mitchell's wife -- says the dog's heart gave out around 1 am Monday morning after a 3-year battle with congestive heart failure.

Bruce buried the swamp dog in his yard not long after ... alongside other deceased pets.

Hug your loved ones for Tyler and eat a zebra cake.

Tyga's pet tiger has just been ripped from his clutches -- after authorities claimed the rapper was illegally in possession of the exotic animal ... and now Tyga could face criminal charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, California Wildlife officers received a report last week that a tiger was housed at Tyga's home in Ventura County.

We're told a warden responded to the home -- and Tyga told him he had removed the cat from the house (presumably due to complaints) and placed it at a private animal shelter.

It's unclear how long Tyga's had the cat -- but he began posting photos of the tiger on Instagram last month.

According to law enforcement, Wildlife officers picked up the 7-month-old cat at the shelter and transferred it to a state facility for safekeeping ... while they investigate.

We're told Tyga could face misdemeanor charges of possession of a prohibited species ... punishable by up to six months in jail.

Worth noting, we're told Tyga took good care of the tiger. Sources close to Tyga tell us, the rapper didn't realize it was illegal to own ... and as soon as he realized, he gave it to a sanctuary.

The Alanis Morissette dognapping saga is OVER ... TMZ has learned the rocker's prized pup has been returned to her.

As TMZ first reported, Morissette sued her old housekeeper claiming the woman stole her dog -- a 10 lb Chihuahua/Pug mix named Circus -- after Alanis fired her.

The housekeeper claimed Alanis hated the dog and wanted her gone.

But isn't it ironic ... today in court, Alanis' attorney dropped the suit because Circus is now safe and sound back at the home of Alanis and her hubby, Mario Treadway.

It figures.

Miley Cyrus may have been rushed to the hospital because of a bad reaction to antibiotics, but we're told the reason she was on the meds was because she wore herself down by hard partying and an emotional meltdown over the death of her dog.

Sources connected to Miley tell TMZ ... she has been "an emotional mess" since her dog Floyd died earlier this month. We're told she had crying fits and has been unable to sleep.

Our sources say Miley's escape has been partying ... as one person said, "She's been off the rails since this happened." We're told she's been drinking a lot and drugs are also involved.

We're told Miley was on meds because she got sick from being extremely worn down.

Everything's connected to everything.

We reached out to Miley's rep ... so far no word back.

Miley Cyrus is canceling yet another concert following her hospitalization Tuesday after a severe allergic reaction to medicine.

Miley took to Twitter early Wednesday morning to announce the cancellation herself, saying, "the hospital is sayin i wont b released today therefore Im not going 2 make it 2 St Louis. Im so sorry but somethings are outta my control."

As TMZ first reported, part of the reason for Miley's hospitalization was the fact she has been "off the rails" since the death of her beloved dog Floyd earlier this month.

Miley Cyrus is in the hospital ... after a sudden and apparently severe allergic reaction to medicine.

Miley was in Kansas City for a concert Tuesday night on her Bangerz tour. It appears Miley was at the arena -- the Sprint Center -- when she fell ill. We're told she had a bad reaction to antibiotics.

Doctors ordered her on bed rest immediately.

Here's what's interesting ... A TMZ employee happens to be in Kansas City and just texted us an hour ago telling us Miley was out shopping with her mom ... so it seems whatever reaction she had was sudden.

The concert has been cancelled. She also cancelled her concert last Monday in Charlotte due to the flu.

Callahan, the crime fighting llama, needs to find a new watering hole -- because a public health investigation just got his ass banned from a popular Hollywood nightclub.

TMZ broke the story -- Como T. Llama, the camelid star of the show "Llama Cop," dropped by nightclub Bootsy Bellows recently for a premiere party, enraging the Los Angeles Department of Health.

The inspector tells us, he officially admonished the club -- which admitted allowing Como inside for the private party -- and reminded management that ZERO live animals, other than service animals, are allowed inside.

The club assured the health department it was an isolated incident -- and according to the inspector, vowed never to let it happen again.

We're told the club can only be cited if the inspector witnesses the incident first hand -- so Bootsy got off with a verbal warning this time, but it's now on the health department's radar.

McDermott recently admitted to cheating on his wife Tori Spelling, saying, "sex was an escape."

Gandalf's glorious steed Shadowfax from the "Lord of the Rings" flicks just took a permanent trip to the big glue shire in the sky -- after the horse got too sick and had to be put down.

Shadowfax's owner Cynthia says the horse -- real name Blanco -- suddenly fell ill at home and was rushed to a horse hospital ... but after a few days, things took a turn for the worst.

The veterinarian asked Cynthia if she wanted to put the horse to sleep ... so she asked Shadowfax for approval -- and the owner says the horse gave her a look that meant yes.

Cynthia gave vets the OK -- and they put her down.

R.I.P.

It's tough to be in Jennie Garth's world if you're black. First she says her African-American friends were denied at a Hollywood club, and now her black Goldendoodle gets rejected by a fancy rover.

Jennie was tooling around the San Fernando Valley with her pooch Wednesday ... when her dog Pearl tried jumping in the back of her Range Rover. It was a gnarly, failed attempt -- dog vs. rover, and rover won.

It seems Pearl was no worse for wear.

TMZ broke the story, Jenny stormed away from DBA nightclub Monday night ... the club takes issue with her veiled claim of racial discrimination. They say she played the "Do you know who I am" card and was told she had to wait in line like everyone else.