Original subtitles

My cat attacked our seven -month -old child.

It was the 911 call heard around the world.

An attacking house cat forces a family into a locked bedroom where they have to

call 911 for help.

We got a media firestorm, and we got a family caught in the middle. I saw my

bleeding. His claw was stuck to his forehead.

He's charging us.

I told her to grab the baby and the dog and go in the back room.

He just went full -blown attack mode.

He went berserk.

We're trapped in her bedroom. He won't let us out of her door.

I have never, ever.

Heard about a cat keeping people hostage.

That's when the media started broadcasting reports of what happened.

humiliating. A lot of people are talking about this story on our Facebook page

and Twitter tonight. The cat's been crazy after baby pulled its tail. Kick

cat while they're already in an agitated state, and that's like pouring gasoline

into a fire. The family says they're not ready to comment on the situation at

this point. My main priority right now is sorting out facts and fiction. I've

got to make sure that this family's life, and of course Lux's life, is a

one. Where are you at, Lux?

I'm Jackson Galaxy.

I'm a musician by night and a cat behaviorist by day.

I've met cats with all kinds of problems.

But I've never met one I couldn't help.

Oh, hello. In my career, I've worked with thousands of cats one -on -one,

analyzing their behaviors and retraining them and their guardians.

When relationships are at an end. I don't have many more options than to

leave. And cat guardians have reached their emotional limit. Just get rid of

her. I'm their last hope.

Are you all right? Sorry, I don't know. Cats have nine lives, but humans only

have one.

I'm here in Portland, Oregon, and on March 9, 2014, Portland became known as

home for the 22 -pound attack cat, Lux.

Now, I only know what you know. I've watched the news. I've read social

But I'm here today to hopefully get the real story and to help out this cat and

his family.

I'm Teresa.

I'm Lee. We are the parents of an 8 -month -old baby named Jesse.

And a four -year -old dog named Smokey. And a crazy cat.

I got Lux when he was a baby. He was rejected by his mom.

Before I had my baby, he was like my baby. I have this bond with him that no

else would.

I came into Lux's life when he was already an adult, and our relationship's

pretty bumpy.

Lux has had violent issues in the past, but overall, he's a pretty good cat.

The worst offense Lux has ever done was when we had to call 911.

911? My cat attacked a seven -month -old child.

The baby was playing on the ground, and I looked over and saw the cat's claw was

stuck to my son's forehead.

He scratched the baby after the baby pulled on his tail.

I was really upset when I saw my son bleeding.

I wanted to attack the cat.

He ran by me, and I tried to kick him.

And he just went full -blown attack mode. He went berserk. And he came after

So I told her to grab the baby and the dog and go in the back room.

We were forced to stay in our back bedroom.

I know

my cat, and he's not going

to stop at just anything. He wants blood. In that very moment, he wants

face.

I don't. I know my cat.

I felt that the only way that I was going to be able to get out of there is

either hurt the cat or call 911.

An attacking house cat forces the family into the locked bedroom where they have

been.

They're not ready to comment on the situation at this point. I watch Jackson

TV all the time, and I feel like Jackson is the perfect guy for this kid. I do

understand that Lux can be dangerous.

I think that the cat can't be trusted. You know, an animal with five razor

blades on each hand is not safe around a child.

But you don't know him like I do, too, though. I'm torn between my cat and my

son, but I don't want to ever see my child get hurt.

He's a danger and hazard to my son. I don't know if he's going to flip out.

It's scary because I want to be able to keep my cat.

It's a hard decision to have to make.

Jackson is our last resort, for sure.

You know, I've got to say, I've never worked on a case like this before. I've

never walked into a home having the news precede me.

hysteria that there's no way for either Lux or his people to get a fair shake.

Teresa, I'm Jackson. Good to see you. Nice to meet you.

Man, obviously I've heard a lot on the news. I've read a lot in the paper. I

have looked on the internet. Just like everybody else, it seems like this story

is everywhere.

What's your son's name?

Jesse. Did Jesse pull tail or something like that? Yeah, Jesse got a little too

close to the cat before I could go grab him. By the time I went to go grab him,

Lux had already slaughtered him.

damage to jesse he had two little puncture wounds in his forehead his claw

stuck to his forehead i scared the cat and he pulled it off yeah right he had a

big ball like a lump wow man and don't get me wrong i hate hearing when a child

gets attacked by an animal but in this case i have to worry about jesse's

and lux's safety as well that's job number one I know that at that point,

there's the infamous, I kicked the cat in the butt thing.

I wanted to just, urgh, the cat, you know? And I tried to kick him, and I

barely touched him with the tip of my toe. You barely got him with your toe? I

barely even touched him. Yeah. In the papers?

Right, I'm a cat abuser. You are a cat abuser, man.

It's never okay to hurt an animal. At the same time, I can only imagine what

was going through as a parent, seeing his child in pain.

My first instinct as a mother was to grab my son, and I moved him to the back

bedroom. So everyone winds up back there, and... He's at the door.

No.

I knew at that very moment when he was making those sounds that there was no

negotiating. He wants blood, I can tell you that.

When the police came, they cornered the cat and dog stared at him. Did they take

him away?

He's like my baby, so I didn't want him to go. I wanted to figure out what was

wrong with him. What I'm worried about is what happened after the fact.

A couple days later, Lux was on his perch, and I went to go pet Lux, and he

started hissing and yelling and coming forward towards me. I tried to get near

the cat, but I couldn't do it.

I'd come towards him, and he'd start coming at me. Did animal control have to

come? Yeah. Animal control came. I told him to take it.

It broke my heart to see left go, but in that moment, I needed to do something

about it right then, and then I needed to call someone to get this under

control. When he wound up at the shelter, did you guys have a

off the bat saying, there's no way we're done?

That was the last thing I wanted. It hurt me. I didn't want him in there.

First thing we started doing was they took him and started turning him back.

I really admire the dedication that Lee and Teresa have for Lux. After all

they've been through, having to physically remove his claw from their

head, living in fear of another attack, and yet they're still trying to make

this work. I love that. I mean, tell me how you feel about him now. He's back

here. Same behavior.

Do you trust him? Not at all. I don't trust him.

Teresa?

I do, but the problem is that he's so unpredictable.

If you don't want to deal with Lux, I will.

I will take care of finding him a new home if I've got to. I don't want to get

rid of my cat.

When I say my cat, I'm pretty much saying my baby.

I'm going to do everything in my power to keep Lux in this house with this

family, but...

At the end of the day, if I feel that this isn't the right place for Lux, or

Jesse's not safe around him, then rehoming is still very much on the

What's up, mister?

It was literally right here.

And the baby came up and pulled on the cat's tail.

I went to go try to kick him. I just barely, barely touched his butt with my

toe.

So Lux comes towards you guys. Where'd you go?

I went to the back bedroom.

All right, let's head there.

So you scooped up Jesse, and boom, we're in here. Yeah.

And he's out there.

I kept opening the door to see if he was gone or if he had... And every time you

opened the door, he was right there. He would hiss and... I'm shaking.

He's at our door, bedroom door.

One moment, okay?

Man, what cat keeps coming at you like this?

Where's Lux now?

In the next room.

Since you've gotten him back from the shelter, have you guys felt okay going

that room? No, not at all. We've been scared.

All right, well, listen, I'm going to go in there. I'd like you guys to stay in

here just in case he gets by me.

I'd rather you guys stay safe. I will be back in just a few minutes, okay? Okay,

perfect.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little scared right now.

Lee and Teresa are too frightened to even go into Lux's room, so how is he

to react to a complete stranger?

Did you see that?

All the media hype. His owners felt the need to call 911. Cats that went crazy

after babies pulled their tails.

That famous 911 call.

My cat attacked a seven -month -old child.

In this moment, anything can happen.

Where are you, bub -bub?

When Jackson went into that room, I was a little frightened.

Just because I've seen what luck can do.

Where are you at, luck?

There you are.

Hey, I see you.

I see you.

Your eyes are huge.

I'm in Portland helping Lee and Teresa, the couple that called 911 on their cat,

Lux.

My cat attacked our seven -month -old child.

I'm walking into Lux's room.

There you are, buddy.

I don't know what's going to happen. Right now, I'm expecting the worst.

Nice to see you.

Okay. Your eyes are huge.

His eyes are completely dilated, and he's releasing this low, guttural growl.

don't know if he's just scared or if he's going to attack, but I need him to

come out. And if he's not going to, then I've got to go in.

I'm going to take this, and I'm going to move it, okay?

And then you can hang where you are.

Hi, buddy.

Hi, love.

Hi.

It's okay, buddy.

Come here.

That's that look they're talking about, huh?

I don't know, buddy. I'm not sure about you.

You know what I don't like, buddy?

Is that your eyes are huge.

You keep looking for a way to get away from me.

You're a little frozen, man. And I don't like frozen.

Will you take some food from me?

What is that?

Yeah, you see you're so suspicious licking your lip.

What I don't see is I do not see a vicious cat.

Matter of fact, I'm going to get all the way down here with you.

You're not running.

Your eyes are becoming more normal.

I do not see a killer.

Right now, all I'm seeing is fear, and not even extreme fear.

Lux is out in the middle of the room with me. His eyes are back to normal.

scared, but calm.

The cat that I've heard about in the media.

He's acting crazy.

The cat that Lee and Teresa have been describing to me is not in the room

now. Now, that doesn't mean that Lux isn't capable of an attack. I'm just not

seeing it at this moment.

What do we have for you?

Good exemption.

You going to eat for me?

Good boy. Thank you so much.

Man, you're coming back to life. You're following the trail.

Up, up, up.

Good boy.

Lux is literally eating off my lap right now. And that's huge because he's

showing me that he can trust strangers like me by accepting food. But with

everything I've heard, there's something in the back of my head that's waiting

for that crazy cat to come out at any moment.

Should I go for the big move?

Should I go for the big move?

Can I pick you up?

Come here.

And kaboom.

This cat keeping someone hostage.

I don't know.

Something is not adding up with you, buddy.

I can only diagnose what I see. And right now, I'm not seeing anything but a

seemingly normal cat.

Now, I'm not doubting that something happened. And I'm not doubting the fear

that Lee and Teresa have towards Lux. Or what I've heard from the 911 call

itself. In order to get to the bottom of this, I need to see Lee and Teresa

interact with Lux.

Hi, buddy, buddy. Come on in, guys. Come on in. Come on in. Everybody in.

Let's close that door.

Now, I just spent however long I was in here with him,

and he is 100 % normal right

now. It kind of scared me to come into that room because I don't know what Lex

is going to do. He's unpredictable to me.

Teresa, are you still dealing with fear of him?

I mean, I see you're looking over your shoulder. Maybe a little bit because I

just, like I said, I've seen the way he, you can see it in his eyes. You

definitely have a relationship with him based on the fact that you were his

mother. Oh, wow.

You right now are putting this like electricity into him.

Cats are energetic beings that feed off the energy around them. And the energy

that I'm seeing around Teresa right now is not good for luck.

At this moment, I'm not sure who I came here to help, Teresa or luck.

Let's start talking about what's going on here.

First things first, I want you guys to get him to the vet ASAP because I want

him to have a tip -to -tail checkup.

The story that Lee and Teresa told me and the cat that I met today just do not

fit together. So I need to find out from a vet if medically there might be a

missing piece to the puzzle, like pain or a chemical imbalance.

And then I want you to do a little catification because if he doesn't have

vertical world here available to him, then Jesse becomes a threat.

Right? Then Smokey becomes a threat, especially the fact that Jesse is about

start toddling around the world.

I want Lane to reach here to build a cat superhighway so Lux will be out of

reach from Jesse and Smokey. And you're going to institute play sessions with

him. Lux has been cooped up in that cluttered back bedroom for way too long,

that's no life for a cat.

We are here for the best life for your family and for this cat. And if it's not

here, we've got to talk about that.

All right, guys, I'm going to take off, okay? Okay, perfect. Great to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too. All right, take care, man. You, too.

The cat has a couple weeks to get better.

We're going to do our side of the work, and hopefully Lex will come through and

do his side, because if he doesn't, then he's gone.

All right, I'm back in Portland for my second visit with Teresa and Lee and

their cat Lux, the infamous 911 cat who trapped these guys in their bedroom.

This thing has gone completely viral. Normally I would go over to Lee and

Teresa's house. I'm not going to do that. I have some hands -on research I

to do first because nothing about this case is normal.

My first stop today is the Cat Hospital of Portland. I sent Lee and Teresa to

the vet for their homework, so I want to check in with the doctor and find out

what her experience was like.

Hi. How are you? So nice to meet you. Nice to meet you as well. Hi, welcome.

you had a chance to spend time with Lux? I did. We did a full physical exam,

whiskers to tail.

Everything looked really good. I did not elicit any pain from him, nor could I

find any systems in him that were sick. Would you say that he's a well cat?

We haven't found anything medically wrong, which leads me to believe that

might be something that we're missing based on the reaction of the guardians.

The female guardian repeatedly expressed that she was fearful of him, even when

he was doing very benign things.

No, don't let him come over here. I saw more anxiety in the guardians than I did

in the actual cat.

I've seen the same reaction from Lee and Teresa that you've seen.

I'm stumped. Now, in my experience, a cat who is aggressive, if they're at the

vet, they're going to do one of two things.

They're either going to lash out or they're going to go into freeze mode.

Lux was normal.

What am I missing? What I've heard in the media.

The cat that went crazy after baby pulled its tail.

What I've heard from Lee and Teresa, the 911 call itself.

He's charging us.

Things are not adding up. If we can rule out a behavioral cause, then we might

need to do some other tests that actually tell us that his brain is

normally and that his spinal cord is normal as well. So what kind of tests

you looking at? You know, I think at this point we need to think about doing

MRI. Now, an MRI is definitely costly.

They have to be put under general anesthesia for it, and it may not be

rewarding. It's hard to know.

Now, before we do the MRI, I still have to rule out that there's any behavioral

cause to what he's doing. I'll let you know what happens, and we'll move

if we have to. Okay. Thank you so much for your time. You're so welcome. Thank

you. All right. Take care. I got one more stop I have to make before I go to

and Teresa.

Hey, how are you? Hey, I'm Austin Bushelot. You can call me Tim. Oh,

Tim. I need to hear from the first officer that responded to that 911 call.

want to talk to you about Lux the cat. If you don't mind talking a bit about

can you? Yeah, I can. Oh, good, good.

I am trying to catch up. I'm trying to get up to speed with what actually

happened that night with Teresa and Lux.

I get a radio call. Got a 22 -pound cat.

It's barricading the owners inside their own room. We aren't safe around the

cats. It's a very large Himalayan.

Do you mind taking me through what happened when you got there?

We knocked and they yelled, the door is open, we're stuck inside the bedroom,

help us.

Keeping a dog, a child, a grown man, and a woman inside their own room.

In my business, there's people either underplay or overplay everything.

So you're a 22 -pound cat.

This could be a mountain lion. We don't know. Yeah, yeah. What I found was a

black and white house cat hiding underneath a chair.

The cat was the one that's supposedly barricading them.

So I was looking around like, what am I missing here?

You're like, where's the other cat? Yeah, where's the other cat? Where's the

one? He pushed himself way back against the wall underneath the chair. He looked

pretty frightened to me. Yeah, yeah. So as soon as I got close, oh, the cat just

bolted. Lightning speed.

When he felt threatened by you guys...

He didn't fight. He flighted. Is there anything else I need to know about Lux

before I go see him? I think you've got the whole story here, at least my end of

it. You've given me so much great information. Again, thank you so much,

Nice to meet you, Jack. Thank you for what you do. Take care.

There's so much in this story that's not adding up for me. So far, I haven't

experienced Lux as an aggressive cat, and neither has Officer Bush a lot.

My next stop is to see Lee and Teresa. Now, these guys are young, stressed -out

parents, and after talking to the doctor, it's hard to determine if Lux's

environment is provoking him to the point of aggression or if there's

more medically that we should be investigating.

I'm really anxious to hear how the past couple of weeks have been, and I'm

really hoping that things have been at least a little better since my last

visit.

How have things been?

Tell me how Lux is.

Let's go.

It was getting better until yesterday.

I was trying to go to the baby and his eyes went boom.

His ears went back and just started hissing and growling. And the cat was

in attack mode. What happened?

So I was sitting in the living room and I felt this like burning as if something

was looking at me or like, you know, eyes in the back of my head.

And he was hissing. I mean, there was nothing I could have done to set that

I've watched this incident that Teresa's talking about. What she's describing,

I'm not seeing.

So I'm going to have them reenact the moment for me. Let's walk through the

incident. What were you guys doing?

I was in the living room sitting down watching TV.

Lee was in the back room preparing food for the baby.

I walked towards Lee, and I realized Lex had his ears pinned back, and he was

already yowling for no apparent reason.

I was a little freaked out. I wasn't sure what to do.

I need you over here, Teresa.

I need you to help me, please.

So I'm here at Lee and Teresa's house for my second visit with them and their

cat, Lux. Now, since my last visit, Lee and Teresa said that Lux had another

outburst.

So far, I haven't seen the violent cat that Lee and Teresa have been

describing. And to be honest, I'm not sure what to think right now.

Let me just grab my footage here.

Tell me what you're seeing here.

The closer you get to him, the louder that sound gets.

I was trying to go to the baby. I saw the cat was on full attack mode.

Full attack mode?

He's just meowing.

Is he meowing?

Now,

Teresa, you sound completely undone by this.

From watching this video, I can tell that there's a real sense of fear from

and Teresa, but for the most part, I'm not seeing any behavior from Lux that

warrants that fear.

At one point, I did see Lux charge the door, but I can't tell if Lux is an

aggressive cat or if Lee and Teresa are stressing him out to the point of

violence. So, ready to get some homework?

Here's what I want to propose to you guys. I want to see Lux's behavior in a

neutral environment.

This is such an unusual case, so I'm going to try something I've only done

a few times in my career.

I want to bring Lux to a foster family for a week, so I'll be able to determine

if the problem is his environment or if there's something behaviorally or

medically wrong with him that I just haven't seen yet. But before I can do

anything, I need to get Teresa's buy -in. If I don't have that, I'm not sure

what to do. There's a foster parent that...

I place him in her home for a week, and I see what his behavior is like.

I just feel bad. You know, it's like if I had a child and had to give it up for

adoption or give it to someone else, you know, after I already had this.

This is a decision that we have to make. And when he comes back here, or if he

doesn't, it's because we made a decision based solely on his happiness.

So, yeah.

I agree.

I understand.

Thank you. Just take care of him, please. You don't ever got to worry

with me.

I want what's best for Lux.

There's times where he's got to make decisions without having to think what

they're feeling.

Do you mind going and putting him in the carrier for me? I don't mind at all.

I'll take him. I couldn't be more proud of Teresa for taking such a huge step on

behalf of her cat. And I really believe that this action is crucial for Lux to

be able to communicate his needs to us. Okay.

So, we got Lux.

We're going to bring him over to the foster home tonight.

But when we come back here next time, we will be able to make a very informed

decision about what to do. All right? All right. That's pretty cool.

All right. I'm going to take off.

Take care, guys.

Hard for me. That cat means a lot to me. And, yeah, it's going to be hard.

The Oregon Humane Society is just an awesome place. They're an excellent

resource for finding foster families. People hear the word shelter, they

immediately think of this bad place, but that can't be further from the truth.

Shelters serve to foster and adopt animals into loving homes, and this

organization is an amazing example of that.

How are you?

How are you doing? Good.

I'm happy we got a foster parent because this is going to be really...

Good day for him. Foster families are absolutely crucial to the success of the

shelter system.

This is Molly and Jim, the foster parents. Hey, I want to see how Lux

a household with no children and no dogs.

Now, you guys have been fostering for how long?

Since 2006.

Have you kept count? How many have come through?

Over 40.

That's just amazing.

You guys ready to meet Lux? You bet. All right, cool.

There we go.

I'm sure you can see the news.

There you know him. The whole world seems to know him.

I know him as being a sweet, scared boy.

He's really beautiful.

I just want to get him to your home.

His life has been so chaotic lately.

There he is, your sweetie.

All right, now, usually I would give you guys homework right about now, but

instead of that...

All I want you to do is put him in a stress -free environment, which is your

home. I just want to see how he reacts in a quiet, stress -free household.

Are you guys up for the challenge for him?

You bet.

Okay, good.

In a week, I hope I'll finally have some answers, and ultimately I'll be able to

tell exactly what's best for Lux, but only time will tell. Well, thank you

much. Take care, okay?

All right, I'm back in Portland for my final visit with Teresa and Lee and

cat, Lux.

Yes, the cat who famously held his family hostage in their bedroom.

He's charging us. He's at our door, our bedroom door.

One moment.

Now, I have yet to see that violent, unpredictable behavior that Lee and

say is a daily part of their lives. So the last time I was here, I decided to

take Lux out of that environment, put him with a foster family, and see how

affected his behavior. So today...

I'm here to figure out what's best for Lux, to stay in the only home he's ever

known, or is it time for him to find a new one?

Hey. Hey, how's it going?

Good, how are you doing? Very well, thank you. Good, good. I've got to ask

I haven't heard anything at all. How are things going with Lux?

Well, things got off on a great note. The cat was affectionate. It took very

little time for the cat to warm up.

Good spines all the way through, but then there was a violent incident.

The ears went back, the eyes got dilated, and the cat attacked Molly's

blood. Molly actually had to go to the doctor.

Oh. I know.

Wow. We took him out of one environment, we put him into another environment,

the behavior came back. It has nothing to do with the environment at all.

So there's got to be something organic going on. Because Lux was at Molly and

Jim's house, a quiet, low -stress environment, now I can 100 % rule out

freestanding behavioral issue. Lux's aggressive outbursts are just completely

unpredictable, which leads me to believe that there has to be an underlying

medical issue that's setting up this behavior.

How are Molly and Jim?

They love this cat. I mean, they meet a bond instantly.

treasured foster parents here, and so they just stepped up to the plate, and

it's just terrific.

Thank you for hooking me up with these parents, because honestly, that gives me

a direction I didn't have before.

Well, you know, we have 350 foster parents here at the Oregon Humane

and they help over 1 ,500 animals stay in a home until they can go get adopted.

How many adoptions do you guys do a year?

We do over 11 ,000 adoptions with a save rate of 98%. Yeah!

So excited. Not bad, man. That's amazing.

If it weren't for Molly and Jim,

Lux wouldn't be here. I'll be honest with you, I don't know what to do. I

I can't take him back to Lee and Teresa's house because of the baby, the

and I don't want Molly and Jim to be living in fear.

Got a lot of work to do.

Oh, Jackson, good luck.

Thank you. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you so much, Barbara. Thank

I have to find out what medically could be causing Lux's behavior, so I'm having

Molly and Jim bring Lux back to the vet's office for an MRI.

Hey, Jackson.

Good to see you. Good to see you, too. I'm just hoping that we can finally get

some answers. Otherwise, honestly, Lux doesn't stand a chance.

Glad you're here.

Yeah, I am, too. I know that Lux is now getting the MRI done.

Give us a chance to talk about what...

happened he turned around and suddenly started to meow he started vocalized and

his ears went back and he hissed and tried to get me it's the 911 cat yeah

everything they said my cat attacked a seven -month -old child he scratched me

badly on the back of my leg Lex was doing so well, and I was definitely

a bond with him. I really loved him. I thought he was really adapting to our

home. I do enjoy Lex's company.

You know, if we can get back to where we were before, it'd be great.

Want to see if the results are in? You bet.

Hi. Hi.

Hey, how are you? Good. How are you?

Doing okay. I think we're all just a little nervous.

And how are things going here with Lex? We do have his test results today.

You do? Yeah. Okay.

And?

Normal. Normal. Completely normal MRI of the brain, completely normal MRI of the

spine. Because his MRI was essentially completely normal, I do think that we

should treat him as a form of feline hyperesthesia syndrome.

The effect is almost like a seizure, right? That's right.

Feline hypersthesia is a hyperstimulation of nerves. Now, there's

predict when it's going to happen, but typically it causes cats to feel pain

throughout their spine, their tail, and their skin. Now, most cases I've dealt

with, cats with this medical condition attack themselves.

How rare is it that a hypersthesia cat attacks people?

Actually, it's not that uncommon.

The more common case is, of course, to turn on oneself, but that really is the

closest diagnosis we have.

Now, there isn't any kind of medical test to say, yes, this is 100 % feline

hyperthesia syndrome. The only way to diagnose the condition is through the

process of elimination.

The bad news is there's no cure and no guarantee that Lux is going to live a

pain -free life or will not have another aggressive outburst.

The good news is that once it manifests, it typically doesn't get worse as the

cat ages, and there's promising treatments by combining antidepressants

anti -seizure medication.

We've got to start talking about...

What happens next if this medication doesn't work?

He has another triggered reaction.

Especially if he has one of these reactions and he's been appropriately

medicated, things really aren't looking good for him. If he's not well in his

environment, if he's not happy, then we have tough decisions to make. It's hard

to look at things like euthanasia, but if he's in pain and we can't control it,

I don't see the other option.

Right. You know?

I'm always going to do everything in my power before even thinking about a

measure like euthanasia. We've run every test on Lux medically and behaviorally,

and if this medication doesn't work, if Lux is suffering, if Lux is in pain,

then euthanasia is the only humane choice.

But I'm holding out hope that this treatment is going to work.

Over the next couple weeks, we're going to get all the answers we need.

I hope so. Hopefully they're good ones. Yeah, I hope so.

If you don't have any more questions, Lux is ready to be discharged now.

Now the question is, of course, where's he going to go? Because I can't

recommend in good conscience that Lux go back to Lee and Teresa, not with a nine

-month -old baby.

Listen, we've all got a lot of thinking to do. Do you mind taking him home now,

and then we can just talk about it a little later, whether he's going to stay

with you guys?

Sure. Good.

Okay. All right, we're going to take off.

Good to see you again. Nice to see you, too. All right, bye -bye.

Bye, thanks. Bye.

It's really hard to be afraid of someone you love, but that's kind of where I am

with Lux right now.

I'm definitely a little uncomfortable around him, but Lux is such a great cat

that it's hard not to want to take this next step and try and help him.

Now, while it is a relief to finally have some answers about luck, now I've

to go back and break the news to Lee and Teresa.

I mean, since there's no cure for hyperesthesia and because there's a

strong chance that luck is going to have another outburst, I am truly worried

that Jesse's not going to be safe around luck.

Guys, tell me, how's the last week been? I'd say it's been a little different

around here without luck.

This past week was less worrisome for me at the house. It was kind of a relief

to know that I could just leave Jesse on the ground and know that he's going to

be okay. It made my day. It made me feel a little bit better. I'm glad that you

feel a little less stressed out.

Now, I have an update for you about Lux's day with the foster family.

He had his moment when he first got there. He was settling in. He was a

and loving cat, and then he snapped, and he became violent.

Oh, Lux.

This is where we have to start talking about what happens today, what happens

the next couple of weeks and the rest of his life.

The vet has diagnosed Lux with feline hyperesthesia syndrome.

And while there are some promising treatments out there, there's no

that this medication is going to work 100 % of the time. And I'm concerned.

I'm concerned for him and I'm concerned for Jesse.

I know you love Lux, but I don't think this is the right home for him. What

you're asking me here is if I don't mind rehoming him into this foster home.

I think that it's the right thing to do.

Yeah, I don't know if I can do that.

There have been several times in my career that I've recommended rehoming a

In this case, I am sure that it's the right move to get him into a new home.

Lux is a special needs cat. Any added stress can only aggravate this

I can't change the dynamic in this house.

I've got a child who's about to start walking, and I can't guarantee that Lux

won't have another outburst around Jesse.

If we need to make changes for him to be able to adapt and live here better and

happier, then we can do that. You would have to keep Lux locked up in that back

bedroom to ensure that Jesse's safe. And that's not a quality of life for Lux.

We made a deal when I first met you guys. We're going to talk about what's

for him.

And that's what we're talking about. And as far as I'm concerned, I don't know

what to tell you guys that's going to make it predictable in here.

I want my cat back.

I'm here for my final visit with Lee and Teresa and their cat, Lux. Now, through

the process of elimination, Lux has been diagnosed with feline hyperesthesia

syndrome, a condition that causes violent outbursts. And while there are

promising treatments out there, there is no cure, and there is no way that Lux

can stay in a home with a small child.

Right now, I just need Teresa to agree to rehome him. Believe me, I know this

a hard choice for her, but in my opinion, it's the only choice.

What you're asking me here is if I don't mind rehoming him into this foster

home. I think that it's the right thing to do.

This is your decision to make, not mine.

That's hard.

I know.

I just had that cat for many years, and I felt like, you know, it was the

closest thing to me.

I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you.

No, it's fine.

You shouldn't give him a better home than I can than you are.

You okay with it?

Yeah.

Thank you. It's the right thing, man.

It's been a hard thing to do and a hard process to go through. I didn't want to

part with my cat for nothing.

I know what's best for him, and what's best for him just isn't with me right

now. I thank you for thinking in his best interest over anybody else.

Now, this wasn't an easy decision for Teresa, but locking Lux up in a room for

the rest of his life in order to keep Jesse safe is not a good life for Lux.

I'm really proud of her. She put her family's needs and her cat's needs

her own. Give me a hug, man.

Thank you, Jackson.

You're welcome. Thank you so much.

Lux, I miss you. I love you, and I will always think of you.

Take care, guys.

Man, this has been a long road.

but there's still one more stop I need to make before I leave Portland.

Now, normally, foster parents do just that. They foster.

Usually, I would never ask a foster parent to adopt because the shelters

all of those foster parents that they can get.

Hi, Jackson. Molly, how are you? Good to see you again. Good to see you, too.

But it would be almost impossible to find a home for a cat with Lux's needs,

in this case, I have to make an exception.

I know that Molly and Jim have fallen for Lux. Now I'm just hoping they're

willing to commit to giving him his forever home.

All right, guys. So I just got back from Lee and Teresa's.

And before I tell you what went on over there, I just want to thank you guys. I

know that things haven't turned out in a storybook way. I know that we're still

dealing with risks. And I can't promise you it's not going to happen again.

He's the best cat.

He's just so sweet, and he really deserves the best chance he can get.

what we know now, Lee and Teresa decided as long as you would take him, they

would let go of him.

So, will you take him? Oh, absolutely.

That's fantastic.

I can't promise Molly and Jim that the medication is going to work on luck,

You've got to love that they're willing to give it a try. Now, I'm hoping for

the best, but if at any point Molly and Jim are in danger, or if I feel that Lux

is suffering, then I'm going to need to reconsider what's best for everyone

involved. But I'm going to leave here today knowing that we have done

that we can do to give Lux the environment and the tools and the people

needs to become a happy and healthy cat.

Thank you so much for giving this guy a great life.

Now that I know that...

probably this hyperesthesia syndrome.

I'm totally into treating this.

It's only been a week since I've known Lux, but in that week, I have absolutely

come to love him. I'm hoping that this medication will do the trick for him.

If you need anything, please let me know. And again, thank you so much for

everything you've done. Jackson, I definitely appreciate the fact that you

stepped in to help save this cat, and I'm really glad that he ended up with

I want him to have a good home, and hopefully we can provide it.

We're going to try.

Call me if you need me, okay?

I will.

Bye, guys.

This case has been a journey. What began with a desperate cry for help from a

young family...

My cat attacked a seven -month -old child. Sparked a media firestorm.

Lux quickly became known as the most ferocious cat in America.

Lee and Teresa were completely vilified. I'm a cat abuser. In the end...

Neither was true.

Now I'm sure a lot of people are going to have a lot of opinions about where

should have gone and how Lux should have been treated. But as always, this is a

case where we had to listen to the cat.

And Lux has very specific needs.

What once worked simply doesn't anymore.

And now Lee and Teresa no longer have to live in fear and Lux has found an

appropriate home.

In most other circumstances, a cat like Lux... would have been surrendered to a

shelter, and because of his aggressive tendencies, he probably never would have

made it out of that shelter.

But because Lee and Teresa just refused to give up on Lux, because of shelters

like Oregon Humane and foster families like Molly and Jim, this lucky cat has a

second chance.