As Terry Pratchett put it: "In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this."

A family in Portland, Oregon, learnt a harsh lesson about angering a feisty feline deity after their 22-pound house cat with a 'history of violence' went on the rampage attacking a baby and forcing the family to barricade themselves in a bedroom and call the police.

The incident, which happened on Sunday evening, began when the cat, a black-and-white Himalayan called Lux, scratched Lee Palmer and Teresa Barker's seven-month-old baby Jesse on the face causing minor injuries. The animal's bad temper escalated after Lee Palmer took retribution on the cat by giving it a kick.

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This enraged the already furious moggy further forcing the family and their dog to hide in the bedroom with the door shut before calling 911.

Mr Palmer told the dispatcher that the cat "went over the edge" and was repeatedly charging at them every time they attempted to open the door.

"He's trying to attack us," he said. "He's very, very, very, very hostile." The cat can be heard on the 911 call howling and hissing in the background.

The dispatcher is heard checking whether an officer can be sent to assist with an angry cat before receiving the go-ahead. Spokesman Sergeant Pete Simpson said that Palmer told the dispatcher that Lux 'has a history of violence.'

"The 911 operator stayed on the phone with the caller to ensure the family, including the dog, remained safe in the bedroom as the cat screeched in the background," a Portland Police Bureau press release said, reported by Fox12 states.

According to reports the fugitive feline had no intention of being captured by police and attempted to flee officers arriving at the scene. Lux's time on the lam was soon curtailed, however, after officers used a dog snare to capture him and put him in a crate.

Officers then told the family it was safe to come out of the bedroom.

"The cat remained behind bars in the custody of the family, and officers cleared the scene and continued to fight crime elsewhere in the city," the Portland Police Bureau stated.