Trying to paddle a cat!

During my long career as an educator, I sometimes had occasion to administer corporal punishment. Before we all started to school, we were made aware of the "electric paddling machine" in the principal's office, so, that first spanking that we all took at school was going to be horrendous in our minds. Most all teachers of my era and before knew how to use a paddle, but, we never did it out of meanness or without due warning to the unlucky student. Many times the punishment occurred after the fact, i.e., after thorough investigation and it was seldom administered to the innocent I assure you! I dare say though, not many of my colleagues ever paddled a cat. That's right, I tried to paddle a cat one day. Because of my proximity to the school, most every morning I would be the first one in the building. Shortly afterward, Mr. G. our janitor would arrive and I often helped him light the heaters for those teachers who wished it to warm up their rooms a little before they arrived. It was a frosty morning that day and as I entered the building by the principal's office and headed down the hall to my room, I saw an animal of some sort dashing down the hall by the science room and hang a right into the teacher's lounge. I just laid what I was carrying on a book shelf in the hall and walked on down to investigate. The teacher's lounge was just a small room with a couch and maybe a couple of chairs, a small table with a memograph machine on it, and a coke machine. Well, I walked in the room and pulled the door to and stood still for a moment. Suddenly something darted from behind a chair and ran behind the couch. Still not sure what it was, I eased over and peered behind the couch from over the top and there sitting crouched up was the prettiest tabby cat I'd ever seen. Well, I commenced to talk to it in a very loving, gentle voice like a person does when about to pet a cat, and reached my left hand over the back of the couch and between the wall to give it a rub and calm it down. That thing bit slam through my left thumb! I jerked my arm out, cat and all, and shook the rascal loose. Of course, being a cat, it landed on its feet and ran back behind the couch. Well, my feelings were hurt and my thumb was severely injured, so, I went back to my room and got my paddle, aiming to settle the score with the evil thing. I went back to the teacher's lounge and shut the door behind me, eased over to the couch and stuck my paddle down behind it and tried to knock the cat out...missed! The cat was by now running all over the lounge and me right in after him, trying to hit him with the paddle. By now, Mr. G. had entered the building, heard the racket and had come down to investigate. Just as he opened the door, the cat saw his chance and made a dash. That thing sailed right at Mr. G. and ran right between his legs. Mr. G. let out a whoop and jumped about as high as a man his age could jump. The cat ran out the doors at the end of the building, never to be seen again. Mr. G. said, "I've seen y'all paddle a lot of kids, but, that's the first time I ever seen a teacher try to paddle a cat!" I never touched the cat with my paddle, it ain't easy paddling a cat!!