A woman and her adult daughter were forced to call the police to their home after they were 'held hostage' by their pet cat. 

Police in Southern California responded to a distress call from the family claiming they were trapped in a room and the cat, Cuppy, would attack whenever they attempted to leave. 

Although animal control would usually have been sent, police officers said there were no other high priority calls that evening and so responded to the distress call.

They arrived at the home and rescued the two distraught ladies by softly calling the 14-year-old cat, who eventually 'surrendered' to the police. 

The news report claimed Cuppy had been with the family for 14 years but was sometimes a little “unpredictable”. He became a 'ball of fury' unexpectedly and often acted up when stray cats were in the area.