catastrophic chain of events

Look at these darlings, Pink and Pearl. Cute no?

They've been at odds all day and are driving me up the wall.

Pearl (the one in the back of the bottommost pic), is making a creepy, low, growling noise every time Pink comes near her. Normally they're friends and they cuddle and spread cuteness and joy (and hairballs) all over the house.

But not today.

It all started last night in a bizarre episode that lasted only about 15 seconds.

I went into the bedroom where Husband has a desk. I leaned on the back of his chair to chat but then he pushed his chair out and ran over some of my toes. I roared, pushed the chair off my toes, and fell backward on the bed into a fetal position, grasping my foot.

No sooner did I land then something strikes the back of my head from above - really hard. My first thought was that somehow the commotion had caused the light fixture to fall off the ceiling but I rolled over and saw Pink rearing up and hissing. I got my arm up in time for his second swipe (better an arm than my face). I guess he must have been sleeping on the bed before I landed there. I think the very sudden action around him excited his "flight or fight" instincts and he opted to fight.

Meanwhile Pearl had come into the room to investigate and after the second swipe at me Pink turned his attention to the newcomer - someone more his size. So they literally had a "cat fight" while Husband chased them around the apartment trying to separate them.

I'm still on the bed and the shock of receiving three minor but TOTALLY unexpected injuries in the space of maybe 5-10 seconds has caused me to burst into tears... however, I'm also processing the craziness of the events and that is causing me to laugh hysterically at the same time.

So about 15 seconds into all this I'm having the strangest, most spontaneous, intense laughing/crying jag I've ever had... It was like going from 0 to 100 in 10 seconds... and THEN I feel warm liquid dripping on me and realize I must be bleeding pretty good.

Sure enough my arm was spurting blood.

Then I felt my head... I had NO IDEA how strong a medium-sized house cat was. They are strong! He seriously punched me in the head and I got a huge bump, blood, and a headache to prove it!

By this point the initial toe injury seems insignificant but when I finally catch enough breath to go to the bathroom to clean up I realize that walking is tricky.

Anyway, I'm fine now but the normally affectionate cats are still upset with each other more than 12 hours later - all because of 15 seconds of chaos.

What a clustercuss.

Must remember to cut the cats' nails.