News

Angry Cat Holds Family Hostage, Seriously

by Adrienne Vogt

Don't kick a cat — because it will fight back. One couple in Oregon had to call 911 after their 22-pound Himalayan cat trapped them in a bedroom Sunday night. Really. Lee Palmer kicked the cat, named Lux, after it scratched their seven-month-old baby in the face. Lux then went ballistic, forcing Palmer, his girlfriend, and the baby — plus their dog — into one room, according to Portland police.

Palmer called 911 after he realized the cat had barricaded them in and wouldn't let them out of the bedroom. Lux can be heard yowling and scratching at the bedroom door while Palmer was on the phone with the dispatcher.

"I think the cat kind of has a history of violence. ... He's charging at us," Palmer told the dispatcher. He also urged the dispatcher to tell police to be careful after she approves for officials to check out the scene.

Dispatcher: "Do you think the cat will try to attack the police?"

Palmer: "Yes."

"It certainly could've been cat astrophic, had it been attacking officers," one police officer joshed to Portland's KGW.

Officers were able to enter the house and capture the cat in the kitchen. Lux's owner, Teresa Barker (ironic last name, no?), admitted that it "might not be so good to have a cat" now that she has a baby.

Lux sounds like a perfect candidate to be helped by cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy on his show My Cat From Hell .