Oh, I’m sure there will be many other injuries in my work at the cats only boarding facility, but today I got the worst one yet.
It’s a three inch claw mark on the outside of my forearm — almost exactly where my arm hits the edge of the laptop (ow) or rests on the edge of the desk (also ow). I tried to take a picture of it so you could see that I’m not exaggerating… but my camera is out of batteries. Plus, thinking of all the people who were grossed out by Moose’s green barf earlier this month, it’s probably better that I spare you the picture.
Here’s how it happened: we had a pair of cats in the playroom overnight. One is quiet but sweet; the other has been pretty unhappy during his stay. He’s been hiding behind his bed and mostly not eating. We hoped that an overnight with his kitty brother would make him feel a little better about things.
My usual routine is to clean all the condos, then clean the playroom and get it ready for the next guest or guests. So it wasn’t long before it was time to fetch the brothers out. The quiet one barely made a peep when I picked him up and carried him back to his condo (where breakfast was ready and waiting). The stressed one seemed like he was going to be okay… until I picked him up.
Once I lifted him off the ground, he turned into a pointy, flailing ball of death. And it was my death he was interested in. He twisted and managed to rake my left arm, leaving two not-so-deep scratches and the one super scratch. Three inches of pain and bleeding. Oh the bleeding. I had to have my coworker help bandage me up, because I was bleeding right through the sleeve of my shirt. Which is gross.
Somewhat wiser, I went in for my second attempt. Rather than make him more stressed, I simply placed a clean towel over him. He didn’t move. I tucked the towel around him to make a “kitty burrito”. He stayed quiet. I managed to get him settled back in his condo with no further mishaps!
I look at all the healing cuts and scars that line my hands and arms after just a few months of work… and wonder what I’ll look like a year from now!