Swimming Lessons
Nevadelia Lotus Blossom went in the lake. I mean, she went IN. I imagine she landed on all fours, as cats are supposed to, but I wasn't there to see it. I was washing dishes when Steve came home and said, "Do you realize that your cat is a drowned rat?" I had no idea what he was talking about so I ran outside, and there on the dock, leaving a cat-shaped puddle everywhere she went, was Delia. She looked like... well, a drowned rat. She's long-haired, and her fluffy plush coat was flat against her and dark. Steve thought she was another cat until she started meowing her head off at him as he came down the dock.
I think what may have happened is that she was out on the dock box, where she's not supposed to be (and she knows it), and when she went to jump back onto the boat, it had moved since she last left it, as boats in water tend to do. And belly flop. I feel so terrible about this, but since she's okay, I don't feel quite as bad. I dried her off and it took her three or four days to recover, but we knew it would have to happen eventually. She tried to dry herself off, but fell asleep partially wet so her fur the next day was stuck to her in weird shapes. I can guarantee you she won't be visiting the dock box again. She must have braced herself in the corner of the slip, where there's a little ledge, and pulled herself out of the lake. Cats can swim. It's just a matter of how long they can swim for. Well, Delia survived her first swimming lesson and she won't have another.