Cat to Mailman: Who Says Dogs Are the Bigger Risk?

Mailmen learn to be wary when it comes to dogs. The comedy gag about dogs biting mailmen came from somewhere, and it might have been statistics like these: in 2010, dogs attacked 5,669 postal employees. Houston dogs did the most biting, but Columbus and San Diego dogs weren't all that much more mailman-friendly.

Our mailman needn't worry about our dog since we don't have one. But if he's savvy, he'll keep an eye out for our cat.

Our cat Pearl is generally harmless. She doesn't go around biting people or scratching them. In fact, she's timid around strangers. Still, if I were the mailman, I'd tread carefully in her presence.

Pearl has a flea allergy. She picked up some fleas early this summer and the itch attacks drained her of her energy. Smartly, she conserved what little stamina she had left by limiting her activity. Most days, you could find her napping alongside her food bowl. That's a cat who has her priorities straight- she knows what it takes to survive.

It's been a month now since we began flea treatments. The results are remarkable. By contrast to her earlier self, Pearl's been bursting with energy and no longer feels compelled to spend every minute lashed to her food bowl. Instead, she's taken to snoozing on the mat inside the front door all afternoon.

The new routine worked out well for a few days.

Last Friday, Pearl was doing what she does most effectively- sleeping- and the mailman was doing what he gets paid to do- delivering mail. Each failed to take the other's schedule in account. The mailman nonchalantly dropped the mail through the mail slot -- and a startled Pearl vaulted into the air hissing as letters, flyers, and magazines rained down atop her head.

The Postal Service gathers dog bite statistics and celebrates National Dog Bite Prevention Week. With cat bites less than one-third as common as dog bites in the general population, they have apparently not been a big source of concern at the USPS. Still, if I were one particular mailman, I would watch my step around a certain disgruntled cat.