Cat almost killed me today

Sapphire will be 15 in August, and she's a very sweet cat (really, Mom!)  She was Lisa's birthday present for her 6th birthday; here they are in a more recent picture when Lisa was home from college visiting:

 And when Lisa is off at college, Sapphire (the lump under the covers)
keeps a spot warm for Lisa's return:

Or sometimes she curls up with Sarah in the chair. 

(Did you notice the shot of kitten Sapphire and Sarah
in the MEOW montage at top?)

For years Sapphire was a tad overweight, at 15 pounds, but in the past couple of years has had considerable trouble keeping down her food and now only weighs half that - literally.  Tests at the vet (with hefty price tags attached) haven't really provided the answer.  Switching to pricey 'vet food' helped at first, but sadly didn't last long.  Despite being skin and bones she seems happy enough, still purrs constantly, bats things around, and despite the  picture below (napping on a fisherman knit afghan I made) can run like the proverbial bat-out-of-hell when it's feeding time - which brings me to this morning's story.

When it's feeding time (I've been feeding her smaller amounts - AKA breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but more frequently - to try and keep her from up-chucking) she lets me know by getting seriously underfoot.  She acts like a starving animal, which now that she's 'skin & bones' she actually seems to be.  This morning, when I tried to open a new 48-pack of food in the laundry room it wouldn't let me in, despite 'handy' perforations in the cardboard.  So I stepped into the kitchen (half a dozen steps) and grabbed a sharp knife.  Sapphire must of thought I'd 'forgotten' to feed her, and wanted to 'remind' me.

I started back towards the laundry room, and Guess What Happened. (You get the usual 3 guesses, but the first 2 don't count!)  I'm happy to report that I sustained no injury, but she limped away.  Maybe you heard her yowl from your place? 

She does like the blue jean quilt I made (that's flannel backing, nice and cozy), but I've seen her look happier.