Last night I panicked when I took off my sweater and pulled up the sleeve on my pajama top.

I was stunned when I saw a strand of my skin hanging from my lower right arm.

Also, I couldn’t believe that my best friend and confidant, Tuxedo-the-girl-cat, was the cause.

I’d been getting her poop out of the litter box when she came into the bedroom and watched me remove it with a scoop.

Suddenly, she lunged and bit my right arm that was holding the scoop.

Surely I yelled at her and I know I cried, but maybe not from the pain of the bite, but that she had done it.

After, I scaverned around in the hall cabinet, and found some Neosporin.

Then, I went into the bathroom and washed out the wound with soap. Or, maybe I did that after I Googled how to take care of myself.

I should have known the drill because that wasn’t the first time she had bitten me.

But, I didn’t remember it being that bad.

Though I do remember my doctor telling me what should be done to that sweet little black rescue cat who was my late-husband’s cat who’d caused us making ER trips to Enid because she’d bitten him and they’d become infected.

After she bit me, but before I felt - and saw - the bite, I kept telling her, “I love you!” as she ran down the hallway.

Then, after I felt it, then saw it, I yelled: “Why did you do this to me?”

Fifteen-year-old Tuxedo didn’t reply and that’s when I cried.

Then I sorta remembered most of the procedure after a cat bite, after I found a tube of Neosporin.

Then, I learned why she did it.

Thanks to Google, I Know Why She Did it: • Your cat likely bit you while cleaning the litter box due to territorial behavior, instinctual prey drive triggered by movement, or anxiety over losing their scent, which they use for comfort and security.

The act of removing poop can seem like a threat to their space or simply trigger a playful, hunting reaction.

Now What?

• Immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for 5-10 minutes, apply pressure to stop bleeding, use an antiseptic/antibiotic ointment, cover with a sterile bandage and see a doctor ASAP, especially for deep bites, as they easily cause serious infections and may need antibiotics, a tetanus shot or rabies treatment.

Watch for fever, redness, swelling, or pus, which signal infection.

And now …

It took me until Wednesday afternoon to get all the ice and snow off the windshield and roof of my SUV so I could get some meds.

I was surprised at the loud crackling sounds of ice and the street vibrations as I drove on our neighborhood streets.

Some of the side streets were rutted with frozen tire tracks.

But, Main Street was clear — except for all the piles of snow.

And, that’s when I went back in time.

Ice Storm of 2002

The Jan. 30, 2002 storm was one of the worst in Hennessey (at least in my almost 47 years) and seeing all those piles of snow brought back memories.

It’s thanks to Brenda Bryan (Turkey Creek Mercantile) that I didn’t even need to go to the public library’s old Clipper papers to come up with that year.

That’s because Brenda printed up “I Survived (the Hennessey) Ice Storm” t-shirts.

I just unearthed my survivor t-shirt from one of my two t-shirt drawers.

And, I also looked up The Clipper news stories from back then and found that “partial electricity” came back on Feb. 4.

It seems to me, even now 24 years later, that it lasted more than six days and nights back then.

And now we’ve almost made it through our first storm of 2026.