LOS ANGELES鈥擜 22-pound (10-kilo) Himalayan cat attacked a baby boy and then took a US family hostage in their apartment, forcing them to call 911 to get police help.
The ferocious feline first went for the seven-month-old baby, prompting owner Lee Palmer to kick the animal up the backside, but that served only to antagonize it further.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trapped in the bedroom, he won鈥檛 let us out of our door,鈥� Palmer told an emergency services dispatcher in Portland, in the western state of Oregon.
鈥淚 kicked the cat in the rear, and it has gone over the edge鈥� He鈥檚 very, very, very, very hostile.鈥�
This photo provided by Lee Palmer shows Lux, a 22-pound part-Himalayan cat that attacked a seven-month old baby. AP
In the 911 call obtained by The Oregonian newspaper, Palmer explained that the four-year-old male cat, Lux, has a history of violence.
In Sunday鈥檚 incident, Palmer tried unsuccessfully calling animal control before resorting to dialing 911.
鈥淗e鈥檚 kind of a violent cat already鈥� he鈥檚 charging us, he鈥檚 at our bedroom door,鈥� Palmer said. Amid howling in the background, he asked the dispatcher: 鈥淒o you hear him?鈥�
鈥淵eah, yeah, I hear him,鈥� said the female emergency call operator, in a calm voice.
Police arrived and subdued the animal with a dog snare.
鈥淲e are debating what to do,鈥� Palmer said afterwards. 鈥淲e definitely want to keep the cat away from the baby, and keep an eye on his behavior.鈥�