falling

Rufus is a very peculiar cat.  He wants you to love him, but only on his terms.  He only likes to be petted when he asks for it and he never likes to be picked up.  He’s also a walking spasm.  These are the things you need to know before I tell this story.

 

This morning, I was sitting at the desk, checking email, and Rufus wanted my attention.  He circled my feet for a while, wandered around under the desk for a bit, getting frustrated that I didn’t stop typing to pet him.  Then he had a grand idea.  Rufus jumped up on the black leather chair that sits to the left of the desk.  He climbed up on the back of it and lay down, pawing at the corner of the desk and at whatever papers he could reach.  I stopped typing and rubbed his fuzzy head affectionately and he seemed quite content to remain on the back of the black leather chair for a while.

 

 

That black leather chair is angled in the corner that is made between the desk and the dvd shelf.  Which means that there’s a small triangle of vacant space hiding behind it. 

 

 

After some time, one of the other cats hopped up and startled Rufus.  I heard a rustling noise.  Assuming it was the cats pawing at each other, I looked to my left to find Rufus in extreme duress.

 

His heavy hind quarters had fallen behind the black leather chair, leaving his poor de-clawed front paws scraping frantically to keep him from falling into The Abyss.  His eyes popped in sheer terror.  I scrambled from my chair to try to save him, but it was too late.  Rufus slipped down, down, down into the black hole.  Down into the never-ending unknown.  Down 36 inches.

 

I won’t say I’m a bad cat mommy.  But I will say that I laughed so hard I cried. 

 

Rufus doesn’t seem to want any more of my attention today.