by Jo Anne
(Roswell, NM)
This is a true story that happened to me in 1991. We had a beautiful mixed breed orange cat named, Roger. He was HUGE. Roger weighed an impressive 32 pounds, was about 36 inches in length, and when standing on all fours was 24 inches tall. A perfect specimen he was not, but he was my son’s best friend.
Roger’s favorite place to sleep was on the long and wide window sill above our bed, especially if the window was opened.
One beautiful summer evening while sleeping in my bed, I was shocked awake by excruciating head and neck pain. I am such a sound sleeper that I thought it was just a bad dream.
The next morning when I tried to get out of bed I couldn’t lift my head. I called out to my husband to come help me. He then told me what had happed to me the night before.
While I was asleep, he had been watching TV in bed. Roger heard a strange noise outside that spooked him and he jumped down landing on my head and neck.
After being rushed to the hospital, it was diagnosed that my “Flying Cat” had in fact broken my neck.
I was very fortunate that I required surgery, and a little time off from work, and I was as good as new.
NO, I was not mad at the cat! We loved him till the age of 18 years. What a great friend he was. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to find a picture of him since it’s been so many years. I’ll keep looking. I am once again looking for a “BIG” cat.
Jo Anne
This is an amazing story. It was written years ago but I have read it for the first time. Thanks Jo Anne. A 32 pound cat is amazing. That really is at the very top end of size for the domestic cat.