Stupid Injuries

[Tanuki]

Ever done something to injure yourself that was, in retrospect, really dumb? Well, here you go. I'll start with a tale from 2007.

Back then, our neighbors had an outdoor cat (whom we dubbed Leon--we never asked his actual name...) who was very amiable. Sometimes during bad weather we would let him stay inside the house, but we'd restrict him to the basement, so our other two cats, Jasmine and Minnie, wouldn't harrass him. Well, Minnie restricted herself to the upstairs rooms, but Jasmine wandered around the house, so she was more of a problem.

This one particular evening, the weather wasn't particularly bad, but the cat was clawing at the screen so we let him in. We let him go into the basement, but after a moment I heard hissing. I rushed downstairs to find Jasmine staring down Leon. Within an instant, the cats were instantly in a fight, Leon trying to get away. Rather stupidly and in a panic, I grabbed Jasmine.

Bad move.

Next thing I know, Jasmine's clawing and biting the hell out of my arm. There's blood everywhere. Jasmine then runs off, and I'm left sitting there in shock. Mom bandages up my arm and I go to bed.

The next morning, I'm in the shower and decide to take off the bandage. I can't pull it off, and next thing I know I can't breathe. I stagger out of the shower and puke into the sink. Mom comes in and says, "What's the matter?"

Next thing I know I'm laying on the bathroom floor. Mom said I was out for a good 30 seconds. I spent the rest of the day in bed, with a massive purple welt on my chin--it's a miracle it didn't split open. I still have a scar on my chin, though. I also have teeth marks on my arm.

As for who won the battle, it's your call--Leon was struck by a car later that year, while Jasmine lived two more years but died of cancer. Minnie is 27 years old and still kickin'.



TL;DR tried to pick up a cat during a catfight, wound up puking and bruised.