A cat who stepped in to protect newly added kittens to the family from the other cats has received praise from Reddit users.

The owner, known on Reddit as @Cat-on-the-run, recently welcomed home two new kittens to the family and pest control team to help catch mice. As natural predators, cats are often believed to be a great source of getting rid of mice. These rodents are fearful of cats. An article from Pest Pointers stated mice can detect feline scent through "specialized organs in their noses," which leads them to avoid areas where cats are present. This means even the presence of a cat in your home can deter mice.

"Some of my cats are getting too old to catch mice and so I need some kittens that can be pest control as they grow up," the owner told Newsweek via Reddit messenger. "Of course, I will still keep the older cats forever."

However, some of the owner's older cats were not keen on the new family members. Ghost, the white cat, was the only one who instantly befriended the kitties. Knowing how the other five cats felt, Ghost immediately put himself in the middle before any trouble arose.

"Ghost stepped up and made sure everyone knew that these are his kittens now and stopped all potential fights before they happened by getting in between and hissing at the other cats," the owner said. "...He even went on to comfort the kittens after."

Seeing his heroic behavior, the owner decided it was time Ghost was crowned his well-earned title: Good Boy. He earned a medal, which he wore proudly in a photo shared on a November 13 Reddit post under the channel r/aww.

His immediate reaction to protecting the kittens paid off as the other cats backed down. The owner said Ghost is "very big" which makes the other cats afraid to fight him.

"He is very gentle with the kittens and waits for them to accept his affection as they are quite shy," the owner said. "He lets them get away with being a little rude to him even because he loves them so much but I can tell the kittens like him too."

His bravery quickly captured people's attention as the Reddit post shared to the subreddit r/aww reached over 36,000 upvotes and 225 by Monday.

"The hero the world needs. You are the goodest of boys," commented a Reddit user, while a second echoed: "You deserve that award boy! Congrats cutie one."

Another added: "You can tell how proud he is too."

Someone else wrote: "Feline hero, purr-otecting justice with whisker power."

Others asked if he was properly praised for saving the kittens with treats, but the owner shared he cannot eat treats because of his urinary crystals and because he is overweight. However, his work didn't go unnoticed. The owner said he has been getting "all the love and toys."