If you’ve been following the news in the past few weeks, you may have heard about the Portland family who called 911 emergency because their cat, named “Lux” was attacking them. They had barricaded themselves in their bedroom. Lux’s owner, Lee Palmer, his girlfriend, the baby and the dog were all trapped in their bedroom. They feared that the cat, Lux, was going to harm them after the child pulled the cat’s tail, the cat then scratched the child, and then Lee kicked the cat. After the 911 call was released, Lux was relinquished by the family to an animal shelter.
Jackson Galaxy is the star of the hit television show on Animal Planet called “My Cat From Hell” and has some great advice for families with cats.
- Never leave a young child unsupervised with a pet.
- Make sure you catify your house so that your cat always has an escape route; especially from a child that might be annoying the pet or treating it poorly.
- Give timeouts to aggressive cats. By using a simple piece of cardboard, you can block the line of vision between two cats and provide a timeout break.
Read more about Jackson Galaxy’s thoughts on the matter. The new season of “My Cat From Hell” kicks off on April 26, 2014! We can’t wait!
What do you think of this situation? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
UPDATE 3/23/2014 10PM: Since posting this story, I learned that the family went back to the animal shelter, and requested to have Lux back. The animal shelter apparently gave Lux back to the family. In light of this news, I’m worried that Lux’s well-being is not being put first and that Animal Planet, Jackson Galaxy and the family who called 911 have everything to be gained from the media frenzy. What I fear is that others will “copy cat” this situation just to become famous.
If Jackson Galaxy had offered his services to Lux and a new family (and there are plenty of them out there) just check out The Catnip Times Facebook Page, I would be 100% supportive and 0% skeptical. I love Jackson Galaxy – but putting a cat back into a dangerous situation is just wrong. It’s bad for the cat and it’s bad for that child.
What do you think?
