Fat cat in therapy after holding family hostage

Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 2:23 PM -

A 22-pound house cat in Portland, Oregon captured headlines after he trapped his owners in their bedroom when he got aggressive.

The cat in question is a Himalayan named Lux, and videos featuring his owner's frantic 9-1-1 call have been making the rounds on social media:

His owner says Lux scratched their baby, went crazy and scared the family so badly they locked themselves in a bedroom and called 9-1-1 for help.

Now the family has turned Lux over to county animal services. His owners say they've overwhelmed with his behavioural issues.

"This is a very shy, somewhat high-strung cat," says Karen McGill, an animal care technician who has been looking after Lux.

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"He's in a very high-stress situation. Apparently they live near a train station so there's loud, noisy trains going by. They have a small child who is learning to crawl and is very vocal. Cats like this, they can only take so much."

The shelter says the family has until until the end of the day Tuesday to decide whether they want to take Lux back or give him up for adoption.