Attack cat is getting help, not the boot
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A very cranky kitty is getting a second chance after he corralled his owners and the family dog in a bedroom, forcing them to call 911 for help.
Lee Palmer said Lux, who weighs 22 pounds, will go to a veterinarian to make sure there's no physical ailment causing him to be aggressive. A pet psychologist will also visit the 4-year-old, part-Himalayan cat.
"We're not getting rid of him right now," Palmer said. "He's been part of our family for a long time."
Palmer and his girlfriend, Teresa Barker, called 911 after Lux went on the attack Sunday. The drama began when the baby pulled Lux's tail, Palmer said.
Lux responded with his claws, and the child suffered a few scratches on the forehead.
On the 911 call, Palmer tells the dispatcher he kicked the cat "in the rear" to protect his child and the animal then "just went off over the edge."
Palmer and his girlfriend barricaded themselves, their baby and the family dog in the bedroom for safety.
The cat can be heard screeching in the background of the call as Palmer says in a panicked voice: "He's charging us. He's at our bedroom door."
Palmer told the dispatcher the cat has been violent in the past, but apparently Lux had never done anything on this scale.
"I was scared, I'll be honest," Barker told CBS affiliate KOIN.
Officers used a dog snare to capture the animal, and placed it in a crate.
The cat attack story gained national attention after police put out a news release about it Monday.
Palmer said he and Barker have had proposals from people wanting to adopt Lux, but they want to keep their pet.