Of course, on the weekends, Jennifer and I divvy up the chores. One of the things I always do is make the bed. Tonight, I took the sheets into the bedroom and began putting them on the bed.
We have four cats in the house, so as one might imagine there’s some cat furniture in our bedroom. One of the most prominent pieces of cat furniture in the bedroom is a tower with two platforms the cats can use to sleep on. In the evenings, the top platform is usually occupied by Bennett, our younger male. Tonight was no exception, as he lounged in the platform and watched me work on the bed. That struck me as odd, as he usually enjoys “helping” (aka, playing on the bed and getting in the way) whenever we make the bed. I didn’t pay it too much mind, though, and continued to work.
Unfortunately, I should have realized he wanted to “help” after all. As I walked around my side of the bed to tuck in the sheets, I passed in front of the tower. Just as I moved in front of it, I saw him get up, and then caught a glimpse of a white blur…
… and the next thing I knew, I felt the weight of a ten pound cat land on my back, right on the shoulder blade.
I was knocked forward to lean over the bed, and tried to maintain some semblance of balance so that Bennett wouldn’t hurt himself by falling. Bennett, on the other hand, was less concerned about me as he dug his claws deep into my arm in a bid to keep from falling. He failed, and fell backwards onto my bedside table, knocking over the phone and lamp. He then straightened himself out and ran off.
By this point Jennifer was wondering what the commotion was about, and came over to investigate. We found Bennett had left a bruise and sizable bloody scratches on my arm. As she was helping me clean and bandage the wounds, I explained what exactly had happened. She ended up laughing, and saying, “I’m sorry, it’s not funny… but it is.”
So, now I have bandages on my arm, and I’ve learned my lesson: next time, when making the bed, make sure Bennett isn’t in the room, or if he is, stay out of his way if he’s on the platform.