When you're cuddling with your cat, have you ever thought that you're basically hugging a predator? Well, after today's story, you might, even though some experts say that most of the time, there's nothing to worry about.
In the story, a woman accidentally cut her toe off and had it sneakily consumed by her cat named Pooka Poopies. But it didn't scare her off. In fact, she says that this incident made her love this creature even more than before.
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Have you ever worried about becoming a victim of your own cat's hunt for food?
Image credits: Kelly Rowe
A woman accidentally sliced off her toe after a very sharp knife, which she used for cutting lemons for her tea, fell out of her hands
Image credits: Kelly Rowe
Image credits: Kelly Rowe
Image credits: Kelly Rowe
Image credits: Kelly Rowe
When the woman went to pick up her toe for reattachment at a hospital, she noticed her cat munching on it in a dark corner, and the toe was gone
The OP has a cat named Pooka Poopies, who always likes to lurk around waiting for tasty crumbs to fall near her. And one day, an interesting crumb fell right into her lap.
Well, we took the liberty of saying it’s interesting and a crumb. It’s actually kind of gross, as it’s a human body part. A toe, to be more specific. The toe was accidentally sliced off by the OP as she was cutting a lemon for her tea.
Of course, the cat didn’t chomp on the toe the second it came off the owner's body. It only happened when the woman, who is a trauma nurse and knew what she was doing, stopped her own bleeding and wanted to grab her toe for reattachment before going to the hospital, but she noticed it was missing. Then she heard licks and chomps in the dark corner. And the toe was gone.
Luckily, the woman didn’t take this whole situation as some kind of disgusting thing that would make her get rid of her pet. She found it hilarious and also believes it strengthened their bond.
And if you’re interested in how this journey ended for the toe, well, it wasn’t digested, and it got pooped out by the cat (kind of fits the cat's name, doesn’t it?). Sadly, after going through the cat, the toe wasn’t fit for reattachment, so it ended up getting disposed of.
Some of the people in the comments under the post were shocked by the story, saying it was “one of the [most] horrifying things they ever read.” At the same time, others, just like the OP, found the situation kind of funny and fell in love with this cat and its antics. Some even joked that the owner should be wary now since the cat might want more after she tasted the toe.
Image credits: Kelly Rowe
The topic of cats munching on their owners isn’t new. In fact, it’s something that some people think about enough that there's a book written about it. Granted, the book isn’t solely about this topic, but it’s interesting enough to make it the title.
Of course, usually, this topic focuses on cats eating parts of their deceased owners (kind of a grim thing to think about, isn't it?) instead of living ones, just like in today’s story. These discussions started swirling around after some reports of people who lived alone with their pets died and were found a couple of days later with some parts of them eaten. It made many people worry that if they suddenly died, their pets would see them as a snack.
So, would they? Well, cat behavior specialist Dr. Mikel Delgado said to “Wired” that the majority of people shouldn’t worry about such an event. Basically, there’s no epidemic of pets going rogue and munching on their humans. This happening is more probable in cases where a person has a chronic illness, which might cause sudden death, and a free-roaming pet, and they aren't found by another person for a little while after their passing.
Also, even if there is proof that the pet might act like this after their owner’s death, it doesn’t mean they’re going to want to eat them when they’re alive. Well, you might want to argue that the woman from today’s story was very much alive when the cat ate her toe, but let’s not forget that the toe was separated from her body. It’s quite likely that the cat simply mistook it for a crumb of food, as the cat likes to lurk around for crumbs.
And if a cat bites their owner, it’s likely not due to the fact that it wants to eat them but simply an act of playfulness. Typically, the biting, which is called “mouthing,” mimics the play of young kittens. And if the bites don’t seem very playful, it might be a sign of fear.
So, we can sum up that in average situations, one shouldn’t worry about being consumed by their feline. While there might be some gruesome situations like that happening in the world, it’s always important to look at the context of them, as it might suggest some other issues or just simply be a funny misunderstanding, like in the case of Pooka Poopies eating the toe.
Interestingly, the woman found the situation kind of funny, and so did some people in the comments under the post
