Ouch!

I'm sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, peaceably eating my chicken curry.  Behind me, Quantum the cat is sleeping on the futon.  Suddenly it feels like I've been whacked on the head by the phone directory!  My neck burns, my eyes water.  Hubby had reached back to stroke the cat.  She woke up in a blind panic and jumped a foot and a half straight up and away from the hand, landing on my head like a fourteen pound cat-bomb, launching off my neck to run under the coffee table.