'Cuppy' the angry cat holds family hostage

Cat owners in the US were forced to call police after a fierce feline threatened to hold them hostage.

"Cuppy" the house cat kept police at bay early Tuesday morning after allegedly cornering his owners for hours in their Chula Vista, California home and showed no signs of backing down.

"Female's calling on 911 advising that her cat is holding her and her adult daughter hostage in the bedroom," a 911 dispatcher relayed to responding officers shortly after 4am.

Cuppy's owners claimed it would pounce and swat at them anytime they tried to pass.

It had even shredded one woman's nightgown during the stand-off.

Eventually, Cuppy surrendered peacefully.

The owners said their pet of 14 years had always been a little unpredictable, but this was the first time they had had to call in back up.

They said they may consider euthanising it following Tuesday's incident.

"He's just a ball of fury I guess," neighbour Karen Yarger said.

Chula Vista police said animal control usually takes these calls, but a delay saw officers stationed in the area respond in this instance.

But this is not the first time police have had to negotiate with cranky cats, with Cuppy's the third incident of its kind in recent months.

In a separate incident, another cat in the US called "Lux" attacked its family only to then lash out at foster owners, jeopardising its shot at finding a new permanent home.

Source: ABC7
Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Simon Black