I kicked Tora right in the butt tonight. Well, “kicked” is probably too strong a word for it. Maybe more like “nudged” her in the butt. The one thing that is certain is that my naked big toe most definitely came into direct contact with the nether regions of the cat known as Tora.

You see, Tora is developing this bad habit of scratching the living room rug when she stretches after a nap, and I have been developing this (likely) bad habit of reaching my leg out from the couch and nudging her while saying “stop” in my annoyed voice. It’s a fun little game we play almost every night. Well, tonight, she positioned herself just beyond the comfortable reach of my leg, and as I stretched as far as I could, I slipped on the couch, my leg swung wildly, and I accidentally nudged her directly in her privates with the big toe of my left foot. She was quite surprised. So was I, for that matter.

She spent a good couple of minutes looking around to see who did it with a spooked look on her face. I spent a good couple of minutes trying to keep myself from laughing out loud. I finally had to get Lin to pause the show we were watching so I could cackle with abandon, and then Tora indignantly flounced out of the room the way cats do. Poor thing.

At least she stopped shredding the rug (this time), so I guess mission accomplished. I gave them all a snack. It was the least I could do.

Currently, they are lounging in tight formation around my art supplies and the canvas I am working on in the kitchen, being remarkably good kitties. Tora seems to have recovered completely from her momentary trauma. My big toe may need therapy.