14 DAY TRIAL // A 22-pound (10-kilo) Himalayan cat named Lux went crazy on Sunday evening after its owners punished it for scratching their 7-month-old baby.
The enraged feline, with a “history of violence,” became so aggressive that the Northwest Portland couple were forced to lock themselves – along with their baby and the family dog – in a bedroom.
The whole incident began when Lux, a black-and-white 4-year-old male cat, scratched 7-month-old baby Jesse in the forehead, said Lee Palmer, the father of the baby and owner of the cat.
In order to get the cat off his son, Palmer kicked it in the backside. His gesture enraged the already infuriated cat, which began acting wildly. The family decided to barricade themselves in a bedroom and call the police. The cat blocked the bedroom doorway and continued to charge whenever they tried to open the door.
“I kicked the cat in the rear, and it has gone over the edge. He's trying to attack us - he's very hostile. He's at our door; he's charging us,” told Palmer to the 911 dispatcher, as reported by Daily Mail.
Police officers were sent to their apartment at the 900 block of Northwest Naito Parkway just before 8 p.m. When they entered the apartment, they saw the cat scurrying into the kitchen. Using a dog snare, officers were able to capture the cat and place it into a pet carrier.
“It’s only funny when it’s not happening to you. When this happens to you, I assure you, you will do the same thing,” Teresa Barker, Palmer's partner, said about the incident.
Lux was left in the custody of the family, trapped inside the crate. Palmer says they are still deciding whether to keep the cat, who has been acting “normal” since the incident, or not. What's certain for now is that they want to keep it away from the baby.
Himalayan cats are known to be sweet-tempered, intelligent and generally very social and good companions. They are usually described as gentle, calm, and sweet-tempered animals, with a playful and active side as well.
However, it seems that they can display an aggressive behavior if they feel annoyed. They become aggressive as a way to stop something they believe to be unpleasant. That's probably what happened in this family's case. Although the owner knew his cat was prone to aggression, he hit it in the back, which sent it into a rage.