LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A black-and-white cat named Max proved the claws can come out in an instant when he faced off with three coyotes at his Highland Park home.

The epic battle last Wednesday night was caught on Maya Gurrin’s home security video.

“My husband and I were watching a movie right here and all of a sudden we see this kind of shadow of a tail,” she said. “We walk outside and all of a sudden we see just three coyotes completely surrounding him.”

She scared the coyotes off, but the real shock came when she checked her security camera footage. The video showed the coyotes surrounding Max and nipping at the housecat, but Max held his own, forcing one of the bigger coyotes to repeatedly back up and one point jump up onto a wall in retreat.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Gurrin said. “We’re still shocked. It was two days ago, and we are still shocked.”

And while she is still shocked, Gurrin admits she’s not really surprised.

“He’s always been crazy. Like, if this were to happen with any cat, it would be him,” she said.

Gurrin says she is fully aware of just how differently the scene could have played out – so Max’s days of being an outdoor cat are over. But his reputation precedes him – neighbors have started calling him “jungle cat” and she is considering building a “catio” so he can still be outdoors, but protected from any other unwelcome coyotes or predators.