Cat That Held Family Hostage To Be Sent To Therapy (feline, bite)
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon owners of a 22-pound housecat that trapped them in their bedroom after attacking their baby say they’re not giving up on their pet and are getting it medical attention and therapy.
Two days after police arrived to subdue the 4-year-old part-Himalayan cat, owner Lee Palmer of Portland said he’s taking the feline to a veterinarian. A pet psychologist also is due at the house to see the cat, named Lux.
The baby pulled the cat's tail. Cats and young children are not a good fit - period. After the cat responded to the tail pulling in a cat appropriate manner by scratching and lashing out - dad kicked the cat in the arse - which no doubt hurt, scared it even more, and really pissed him off. If I were the cat - I think I would have responded in a likewise manner - and now the cat is the one who needs therapy? I'm going to guess this is not the first time the kid has abused the cat - and the cat was defending himself. In the end - the cat will be the one to pay the price for all this - either rehomed which may be best for the cat - or put down - which will absolutely be wrong. Two grown "adults" aren't able to cope with a cat that they have lived with and consider a pet - and have to barricade themselves behind a door and call 911? They have no business having a pet - and I now wonder about their parenting skills as well.
The baby pulled the cat's tail. Cats and young children are not a good fit - period. After the cat responded to the tail pulling in a cat appropriate manner by scratching and lashing out - dad kicked the cat in the arse - which no doubt hurt, scared it even more, and really pissed him off. If I were the cat - I think I would have responded in a likewise manner - and now the cat is the one who needs therapy? I'm going to guess this is not the first time the kid has abused the cat - and the cat was defending himself. In the end - the cat will be the one to pay the price for all this - either rehomed which may be best for the cat - or put down - which will absolutely be wrong. Two grown "adults" aren't able to cope with a cat that they have lived with and consider a pet - and have to barricade themselves behind a door and call 911? They have no business having a pet - and I now wonder about their parenting skills as well.
100% agreement. When I heard this I was like "what, what, what??"
And everyone was commenting on the page where I first saw it with "Wonder what Jackson Galaxy would have to say about this?" I hope he's on his way. I hope he's the pet therapist that is visiting. He is THE MAN when it comes to cat issues.
And later, I see a FB post by Jackson that says he's being interviewed on Inside Edition about it, and I tuned in but did not see him... However, I did see a story about a realtor who was using a home he was supposed to be selling, to get his swerve on with another real estate agent, both agents were married and not to each other! The homeowner is suing. I say, GOOD.
And that concluded my day of "WTF news"
Back to the topic at hand however, the family has received numerous contacts from people who want to adopt this cat and take it off their hands. They are trying other measures to see if they can keep it, not giving up on their family pet just now. Hopefully however, they will have a nice long list of names and numbers if they decide they just can't handle the cat. I would hate to see the kitty put to sleep over something like this.
I actually agree that more is required than cat therapy. Simply because the child isn't even in the most ornery stages of his/her life at this point...maybe pet-owner-therapy for everyone in that household is in order, or a better home for the cat.
It is a challenge sometimes to have a cat in a home with a small child. I think in many cases it just isn't a good idea. Of course this kind of thing is not a cat's "fault." One can't really hold cats at fault for stuff...human concepts of accountability do not apply to animals, they apply to the people who are responsible for them.
It is a challenge sometimes to have a cat in a home with a small child. I think in many cases it just isn't a good idea. Of course this kind of thing is not a cat's "fault." One can't really hold cats at fault for stuff...human concepts of accountability do not apply to animals, they apply to the people who are responsible for them.
I had my Persian when I had my first child. It was funny. He would start crawling towards her laying on the other side of the room. When he would just about reach her, she would calmly get up, walk across the room, and lay down again. He'd turn around and start heading after her. She knew he didn't have momentum. I think she enjoyed playing the game.
As for it not being a good idea to have a cat with a small child, I'm not sure what you expect people to do when they already own cats. My cat lived 22 years. I got her when I was a teenager and had my first child in my late 20s. It's not like everyone knows they will someday be having a child when they adopt a cat. My doctors told me I would never be able to conceive children.
Sh*t happens. People just need to be more responsible with their supervision.
I had my Persian when I had my first child. It was funny. He would start crawling towards her laying on the other side of the room. When he would just about reach her, she would calmly get up, walk across the room, and lay down again. He'd turn around and start heading after her. She knew he didn't have momentum. I think she enjoyed playing the game.
As for it not being a good idea to have a cat with a small child, I'm not sure what you expect people to do when they already own cats. My cat lived 22 years. I got her when I was a teenager and had my first child in my late 20s. It's not like everyone knows they will someday be having a child when they adopt a cat. My doctors told me I would never be able to conceive children.
Sh*t happens. People just need to be more responsible with their supervision.
Hence my saying that in some or in many cases... Mostly being the ones where people aren't giving enough thought to what could happen and taking steps to prevent it. Some of this stuff is going to depend on the personalities of cat and child. A guardian of both needs to take all of that into consideration and responsibly supervise, and/or take steps to prevent such things.
As for what I expect of people who already have cats, and wind up with kids... A lot of that depends on the cat. If you have a mellow cat that will just get up and walk away, fine. But when that kid is 3 years old, one had better have taught it well in how to (or more importantly how NOT to) handle a cat. And some cats might just be too high strung to cope with small children...it's why most shelters and rescues evaluate personalities of animals and will have it on their sheet if they shouldn't be around small kids. In that case, if a person is faced with a situation where the two simply can't safely coexist, one does not kick a cat in the rear, and one might certainly consider rehoming the cat. Similarly, what if a child develops severe cat allergies? The health, safety and wellbeing of one's child has to come first. It might be sad for the cat but that's how it is. If a prospective parent can't commit to putting their child first, they might consider such things as sterilization or adoption in the case of unplanned pregnancy.
In any event, I hope that whatever professionals this family employs in this situation can help them learn how better to deal with things...seems like they sure need help of some kind.
My girlfriends cat bit my son not to long ago. My son was just crouched down and looking at him, he was fascinated by the "meow" (that's what he calls the cat) and boom...there was a grab by the cat, and a bite on the arm. Then he took off running. My son just looked up at me as if to say "what just happened". He was confused, but I chose not to make a big deal in front of my son in fear he'd freak out and be afraid.
I dealt with the cat my own way, and gave it a piece of it's own medicine. Bite my son for no reason, I'll retaliate. I've never had such satisfaction getting even with that devil, as I did the look on it's face from coming out of the dryer after being tumbled around for a few minutes.
I agree, they shouldn't have called 911. IT IS A CAT...NOT A MURDERER!
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I'm going to guess this is not the first time the kid has abused the cat - and the cat was defending himself. In the end - the cat will be the one to pay the price for all this - either rehomed which may be best for the cat - or put down - which will absolutely be wrong. 
Two grown "adults" aren't able to cope with a cat that they have lived with and consider a pet - and have to barricade themselves behind a door and call 911? They have no business having a pet - and I now wonder about their parenting skills as well.
