What the H was that Lola?

I swear if I hadn't just spent $35 on cat food, you'd be back at the animal shelter right now!

(just kidding)  

(maybe)

here's the back story:

since the weather turned cold, Lola has felt the need to almost always be in the same room as me, curled up nearby, sleeping.
At night, she comes up beside me in the bed and flops down by my ribs to sleep. 

Last night, or more precisely, early this morning, around 1:30am, she crawled up beside me and lay down. As usual, I reached out to pat her, in the dark, half asleep. 
And my hand must have landed on a part of her she doesn't like being touched. Accidently of course.
Less than a second later, I'm yelping and leaping for the bathroom and the disinfectant, while Lola skedaddles out of sight. 

SHE BIT ME!!

And not just a nip either.
I had a puncture wound in the back of my hand and I spent a good five minutes dousing it with undiluted disinfectant, then slapping on a bandaid and hoping the bleeding would stop. 

By 10am, my hand was red, puffy and painful, so off to the doctor I went. the clinic was busy, I had a wait of one and a half hours before I could be seen. I almost fell asleep there. 
Several hours later, I'd had the wound washed and bandaged, had a tetanus shot and was on my way home with a prescription for antibiotics. 

Lola met me at the door, hungry. I showed her my bandaged hand, still red, puffy and painful, said "look what you did!" and she just ran into the kitchen and waited for me to dish out her "ocean fish in prawn flavoured jelly".

Sigh. 

It's 9pm now, the hand is slightly less red, slightly less puffy, but no less painful.

Lola, on the other hand, is still irritating. She isn't sure if I'm still cross at her or not.  I'm not sure either.

Comments

  1. Part of the joy of living with a cat...you never know quite what to expect.

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    Replies
    1. only slightly confused; that's for sure. I do know I won't be reaching out in the dark to pat her ever again.

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  2. Our Grumpy does not like to be touched in one spot, and she has been our third pillow lately which makes life somewhat dangerous for us, as we could touch it completely by accident.

    I use the Thursday Plantation tea tree oil for all things like this, I would have poured it into the puncture. It would have hurt quite a bit then gone numb.

    They say the teeth are the least clean part of the cat.

    I am sorry that your Lola bit you as a surprise to yourself while half asleep! ;)

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    Replies
    1. Snoskred; Teeth being the least clean part and me not remembering how long ago I'd had a tetanus booster is why I went to the clinic as soon as it got red painful and puffy.
      You may have to banish Grumpy or sleep in a hazmat suit.

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  3. Life is always exciting when living with a cat.

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    Replies
    1. Kathy G; mostly it's a bit dull, with Lola sleeping the hours away.

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  4. Heaven knows what's in that prawn flavoured jelly!
    Perhaps it's a bit late to introduce her to a toothbrush, though.

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    Replies
    1. SmitoniusAndSonata; I don't much care what's in the prawn flavoured jelly, it's one of the few foods she can tolerate without getting diarrhea. I think a toothbrush would be a very bad idea.

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  5. I cannot imagine how you offended her. I'd put her on dry food until a written apology was forthcoming.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne; reaching out in the dark while I was almost asleep and not knowing which end was facing me is a recipe for disaster. Usually I feel her ears and just scratch a bit and off to sleep we go.

      Delete
  6. Ow! Just reading that made my hand hurt. As much as we love them, they're still animals, and will react like animals at times. That's why I can't understand people who leave their babies and toddlers in a room alone with a pet.

    Lola won't remember it as long as you will!

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    Replies
    1. Val; I didn't have pets when my children were babies, so they were safe, I think the youngest was about one when we got a kitten given to us and the older kids watched out for him when they weren't at school. The rest of the time the baby was inside and the cat outside so all was good.

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  7. I know I shouldn't laugh at the afflicted - but I am!

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    1. Around My Kitchen Table; go ahead and laugh, it's the sort of thing that's funny to others. And the hand is healing well now, pain and redness is gone, just a little puffiness left.

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  8. Didn't your mother ever warn you about sleeping with wild animals?

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    Replies
    1. fishducky; no, she didn't. I'll have to have words with her about that when I get to heaven. That's if she's there...

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  9. The old saying, maybe from the bible, Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do. But it wouldn't hurt to be a bit cool towards her for a day or so.

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    Replies
    1. Andrew; she is forgiven and I think she remembered because last night she slept at the foot of the bed, not up by my side.

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  10. Ouch! I guess that is just cats, no one seems to really understand them, but I suspect you will forgive her because...she is a cat!

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    Replies
    1. joeh; Lola is forgiven, but I'll still be careful and not pat her in the dark when I can't see her.

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  11. Ouch.
    Sadly Jazz bites and scratches me so often I have developed Jazz antibodies (confirmed by my doctor).
    I hope your poor hand heals quickly. And that your relationship with Lola heals too.

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    Replies
    1. Elephant's Child; ouch indeed. The hand is healing nicely, redness and pain is gone, it's just a bit puffy still. I did wake up about 4.30am aching badly all over, I'd say from the tetanus shot because that's gone now too. Lola is forgiven, but she put herself at the foot of the bed last night, not up beside me.

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  12. I been bitten a few times by Leroy but not badly she always does a warning bite first just to let you know you have gone to far, but yours does not allow you any mistakes, I would shut my bedroom door for a week or two just to let her know you are not happy with her.
    Merle..........

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    Replies
    1. Merle; I can't shut the bedroom door, the bedroom leads into the bath/laundry where her litter tray is. She hasn't bitten for months now, this was just a once off accident in the dark.

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  13. Good grief that wasn't a good thing especially as you don't know what she didn't like.
    Hope your hand soon is much improved as teeth are one of the dirtiest things to get into a humans skin.

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    1. Margaret-whiteangel; in the daytime I can see which parts of her I'm touching and how she reacts, reaching out in the dark and half asleep just wasn't my finest idea. My hand is much improved now, just a little puffiness left.

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  14. I'm sorry you got hurt, River. And, I'm sorry for poor little Lola, too.

    She must have received a hell of a shock/fright to have bitten you like that - to have reacted in such a way.

    Obviously, a flash from her past, before she come into your loving care, made her act that way. No doubt, she experienced some tough times...some rough times before she came to live with you, and that certainly would be the cause.

    Lady Lola is not at fault...what came before is. And, I know you understand that...and the love you feel for her hasn't diminished.

    Take good care of your hand, River...I hope the pain, swelling and redness all subside soon.

    And give Lola a cuddle for me...warn her first...and make sure the light is on. :)

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    1. Lee; Lola is long forgiven now. We all know every cat has a sensitive place or two where they prefer not to be touched and will react, from now on I will be more careful and only pat with the light on or if I can feel her ears.

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  15. My sympathies! A couple of years ago, i got a cat bite working with a shelter cat and ended up in the hospital for five days. Those infections can be wicked!

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    1. messymimi; five days! At only about 48 hours later I am perfectly fine and Lola is forgiven.

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  16. Oh my. What a rude awakening! The only times our cats have ever bitten me is when I'm clipping their nails, and they've only been little love nibbles. (Didn't hurt, anyway.) I'm glad you went to the doctor and had that bite taken care of and you're on the road to recovery. Nothing to mess with.

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    1. Susan; I couldn't possibly clip Lola's nails myself, I'll leave that to the vet and his assistant, she holds Lola while he does the clipping and the whole things takes about twenty seconds.

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  17. =( Makes you wonder what was going on in her head. Maybe she was having a dream and your hand was a giant, cat eating insect?

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    Replies
    1. Crystal Collier; she'd only just got onto the bed and hadn't settled yet. next time I'll make sure I know where her ears are before I pat right behind them.

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