PORTLAND, Oregon (WTVR) – A frantic father called 911 Sunday night after a bizarre confrontation with the family’s Himalayan cat named “Lux.”
"Lux" after Sunday night's rampage.
The Barker family said it all started when Lux scratched their seven-month-old baby and then went after the family dog.
That’s when the man of the house gave “Lux” a swift kick in the rear. Things then took a turn for the worse.
"He started hissing and just yowling... Yowls, not like a meow, but yowls. He was really like crazy," Teresa Barker said. “I grabbed my son and I grabbed the dog and ran to the back bedroom.”
Teresa Barker and her seven-month-old son.
Soon the child’s father also ran for safety and dialed 911.
The 911 Call
“I have a particular emergency here,” he told a 911 operator. “My cat attacked our seven-month-old child and I kicked… the cat in the rear and it has went off over the edge and we aren’t safe around the cat."
When asked if the child needed medical attention, the father said the boy “just had scratches on his forehead.”
But what really had him worried was the hissing and snarling cat that had the father, mother, baby and dog barricaded in the bedroom.
“He’s trying to attack us. He’s very, very, very, very hostile. When I leave out of the bedroom to let the police in, I’m going to have to fight this cat.”
The dispatcher next asked exactly how large the cat was. He said the cat weighed in at 22 pounds and had a history of violence.
“But he’s bad right now. He’s charging us at our bedroom door. You hear him?” he asked.
“Yeah I hear him,” the dispatcher said. “Keep your door shut, OK?”
When asked if he thought the cat would attack the police, the father simply replied, “Yes.”
“Tell them to be careful,” he warned.
Police Save the Day
When police arrived they spotted the cat scram into the kitchen and jump on top of the refrigerator.
Officers then used a snare and eventually got an upset “Lux” into a crate.
“The cat remained behind bars in the custody of the family and officers cleared the scene and continued to fight crime elsewhere in the city,” Portland police said in a news release.
“Certainly it could have been catastrophic had it been attacking the officers,” Portland Police Sgt. Pete Simpson told a reporter from KGW.
It is unclear whether the family will keep the 22-pound troublemaker after what happened.
“Now that I have a baby, maybe it’s not so good to have the cat.” Teresa Barker said.
But Sgt. Simpson thinks there might be another solution for the family.
“Maybe something can be worked out through mediation between the family and the cat,” Simpson said.
Why Do Cats Hiss
While it may seem funny to some, a hissing and snarling cat is no laughing matter. In fact, the animal's hissing is a dire warning, according to Animal Planet.
"Vocalizations warn you to stay clear, to step away from him, or those huffing, snake-like sounds will lead to something more serious," the website states.
Additionally, the cat's hissing may indicate that he or she is frightened and is going into defensive mode.
Experts advise giving hissing cat a chance to calm down.
"If he's being introduced to a new feline or canine roommate, supervise the interactions, always keeping them safely apart till your distressed cat adjusts to this new reality," according to Animal Planet.
