Lux, The Cat Who Was Kicked by His Owner, Put Into Shelter

If you follow the story of the cat Lux, a black and white 22-pound Himalayan cat from Portland, Oregon, then you know that the child of Lee Palmer and Teresa Barker pulled the cat’s tail one day. The cat reacted and left a few scratches on the kid’s forehead with no serious consequences. Then Palmer kicked the cat and the kitty got so stressed that the family had to evacuate to the bedroom. They called 911 and the cops arrived. May be the things have settled down for the couple, but not for the cat loving community and for people who do care for animals and who do not tolerate animal abuse. Teresa Barker confirmed that the cat attacked them only after the child pulled the cat’s tail and after Lee Palmer kicked the cat.

Animal activists, cat lovers, and cat behaviorists offered their help with resolving this situation. Many are ready to adopt the cat as the current place is obviously not the best place for Lux. If the family has issues with managing the “kid-cat” situations, there is no reason for animal abuse. From my view, if the owners cannot control their emotions and have no desire to allow cat loving friends to look after the cat, the cat should be re-homed to a loving family and to the calm environment where the cat’s needs will be met.

So far the couple decided to put Lux into the Multnomah County Animal Shelter for evaluation. Previously Lee Palmer said “We’re not getting rid of him right now. He’s been part of our family for a long time.” and posted on his Facebook page that “The cat is very loved that is why he is still here we had the option to let the animal control take him but decided to give him a chance the cat is territorial and can swat randomly [...]“. Teresa Barker was not so positive and said it might not be a good idea to keep the cat after the baby has arrived. The shelter director Mike Oswald said the owners have not decided on whether to keep the cat or not.

The couple was paid for the interviews and there was an early contact on a possibility to include the cat into a TV show. I hope that’s not the reason the cat Lux is still suffering from stress caused by his owners. You don’t have to be a certified cat behaviorist to see that Lux in under stress.

Tagged abuse, behaviour, cat, children, family, Lux, Oregon, Portland, USA