The so called “violent” cat, Lux, who held his family hostage on March 9, has been turned in to the Multnomah County Animal Shelter (MCAS). KGW Channel 8 News out of Portland broke the news March 17. I report this to the PoC family with great sadness today.
This situation has created mass hysteria in the cat world, mainly because Lux’s owners, Lee Palmer and Teresa Barker, were adamant Lux would remain with the family. They did state that therapy might be a solution for Lux, who trapped his family (including the family dog) in a bedroom after having his tail pulled and being kicked by Palmer. The couples 7-month-old toddler was scratched by the family cat after the child pulled his tail. For some reason, Palmer decided to kick the cat, and was shocked when the cat fought back.
To hear the family and their excuses for dumping Lux at the Multnomah shelter, the cat is only there for an evaluation. Palmer insinuates he has called in professional help to deal with his cat’s emotional problems. In other words, the shelter situation is temporary, Lux is not up for adoption, and will be home in the near future.
There’s been a lot of hate radiating on Palmer’s Facebook page, with the majority stemming from Lux being kicked after the 22-pound Himalayan defended himself after being physically harmed. Shouldn’t a cat be expected to defend itself in order to make the pain stop?
This situation is sad all the way around. Jackson Galaxy has offered to help with Lux, what I’d expect to be mediation between cat and owner. Not only that, rescues and individuals from throughout the U.S. have offered to take Lux in until a loving home can be found. I apologize, but a home where the family cat has it’s tail pulled and is physically abused isn’t a loving home. If either of the owners or their child had been kicked, someone would be going to jail on criminal domestic violence charges.
It’s likely a thin line for the Portland police on whether Palmer could legally be charged with animal cruelty. I feel sure from following his Facebook page that Palmer doesn’t believe he’s done anything wrong. Neither did his offspring do anything wrong. There’s a balance that must be considered when a cat and a small child share the home. Both must be monitored and taught to respect each other. That universal word “aannkkkk” seems to do the trick, whether spoken to a child or an animal. Try it when your own child (or cat) is about to do something you’d rather they don’t do.
Everyone needs to consider Lux a bit more. You don’t take a cat you care for to a shelter and just drop them off. There are diseases that are easily picked up in even the best maintained shelters in the U.S. Infections such as feline panleuk, calicivirus and upper respiratory infections spread quickly, especially when dealing with a stressed cat. There’s no way Lux isn’t under stress in a shelter environment. Shelter’s are noisy, with dogs barking day and probably during the night, while the staff is gone.
I did a bit of research into MCAS, and found they’re the only open door shelter in Portland. They’re the primary agency for lost pet care, animal abuse situations and animal rescue. Nothing on their website mentions evaluation services.
I’m curious how the readers here feel about this latest development? Do you believe Lux is really in a shelter for an “evaluation.” Has the family actually given him up and had hoped the news media wouldn’t learn about this tragedy (to me, that’s what this is). Or do you believe Lux is just there for a cooling off period until the family decides what to do with this poor cat. Please leave a comment on what you believe is really going on between Lux and his family.
Elisa
Source and photo credit:
- Photo believed to have been taken by Lee Palmer, the cat’s owner.
- http://multcopets.org/ (MCAS)
I hate those ‘owners’ Why the hell couldn’t they just let Lux go to someone who would love him and treat him kindly?They’ve had plenty of offers, but no they have to show he is their ‘possession’ and be spiteful and pretend the cat is going to the shelter for evaluation.
I just hope they don’t get him back to go on abusing him. If they were so scared of him that they had to shut their stupid selves away and phone the police then they obviously shouldn’t be allowed within a mile of any cat.
yea it sucks:( i hope bad karma hits them majorally. Its just makes me so mad when animals are abused in this way.
I hate people – that poor cat. If something bad happens to that cat I truly hope that the familly who did this to Lux suffers threats and provocations for the rest of their stupid lives. I also hope they never sleep comfortably at night again in fear some crazy animal activists will come and skin them alive in their sleep.
You are definitely a candidate for the living in the middle of Siberia like that lady we discussed about a month ago . I confess that I have similar feelings about people when I read stories like this and, you know, that this is a high profile story but I am convinced that there are many hundreds of thousands of similar stories that are never reported.
From what I’ve read the shelter is no-kill.
Genuine no-kill. 100% no cats killed and no cat catching a disease and then euthanised?
That’s the part I worry about. Is no kill still no kill should an animal get sick.
The word or phrase “no-kill” is very flexible in the world of animal shelters. The management make it mean what they want to make it mean so at the end of the day nobody quite knows what it does mean.
Yea its very sad. I do hope some responsible loving person can take this lovely cat to a forever home. Its very destressing. Feel so sad for cat.
Yes, the solution is easy: rehome direct without going via a shelter where there are inbuilt hazards to health.
Bad news for me and millions of other people who genuinely care for cat welfare.
Good point. Lux’s owners are just not switched on. They have a poor attitude to cat caretaking and they are digging a hole for themselves and their cat.
The fright the cat will get in being in a strange place in a cage will make him aggressive again (potentially). Lux needs the opposite: calm and TLC.
It breaks your heart to read about this. If he is aggressive in the shelter might they decide to euthanise? No idea. But they have the equipment and they are used to doing it. Not a good situation.
Lux could have been adopted by one of thousands offering to look after him. Far better solution, obviously. The Palmers are just doing it all wrong.
I don’t believe the shelter would dare euthanize him. His fame may have saved his life as far as euthanasia. I just wonder whether the owners were being secretive until news media jumped on this.
It is seems extraordinary to me that he has been taken to a shelter when there were obvious better options: rehoming direct. People are gagging to look after this cat.
Perhaps this is a very good shelter where he is safe and content. I doubt that.
Michael, this is a public shelter and it is definitely not a “no-kill.” Check their website – the following numbers for 2013 cat intake and disposition are posted: Intake: 4,324. Euthanized: 1,538; Euthanized at vet: 48. Escaped/stolen: 3. Died in cage: 10. Died at vet: 1. They don’t have too bad a record for adoptions (700+) and transfers (hopefully to other rescues/shelters that ARE no-kill), but 1,586 total euthanized isn’t “no-kill.”
Thank you, Pam, for that useful information. It is uncomfortable information. I don’t like it. It makes what has happened worse than I thought.
Glad you cleared that up Pam. From reading their comments it looked like a no kill. Some people even think the shelter we pulled from was no kill but more than 30% never made it out