Over the past few years, I have learned something very important. Never take a nap with a cat. I've always been a big dog person. I understand dogs. I know dogs. Now, I have a cat. One thing is for sure, cats are not dogs. I've always heard that dogs have masters and cats have staff. There is more fact than fiction to that witticism.
A few years ago, my last dog died and I was heartbroken. It happens to all pet owners and over time, I adjusted to a hair-free, noise-free, pet-free zone. I would gladly get another dog, but during my period of mourning, my wife brought my son's cat home. My son wasn't giving her the kind of attention she needed, and since we were pet free, she was a welcomed addition.
That's when I learned that cats are not dogs. She has her own routine, and it doesn't matter what our routine is. She sleeps all day, prowls all night and is prone to nip the wife on the ankles. For some reason, she seems to like me. She likes the first wife too, but she does seem to gravitate to me when I'm around. Hence the nap issue.
Recently, my wife was out of town for a week, so the cat and I have expanded our connection. I did the unthinkable and let her sleep on the bed while Buffy was gone. She had been baned from the bedroom at night time because she was prone to end up on my chest sniffing around my face at 3:00 am. A couple rounds of that and she was locked at at lights out.
This time, she did incredibly well, but there was a problem. She loves to sleep on a leg, an ankle or between my legs with her head on one leg and her caboose on the other. I found myself being unable to move most of the night.
The first night was difficult, but I assumed (there's that word) it would smooth out and we'd get into a flow over the week. We did. She sleeps on one leg and I stay stuck in limbo for hours on end. My head is constantly saying, "Don't roll over, you'll smother the cat." So, my sleep is more like dozing with a little snoring in between.
Today, I had a short day so I decided to take a short nap. Nap time is cat time. She nestles right up, but at nap time (and she seems to know the difference), she snuggles up to my left side, and begins kneading in my arm pit. I can only imagine that this must be what it feels like to go to an apprentice acupuncture student. I keep thinking if I could just think hard enough she might capture the brainwaves and realize that you can only knead on those body parts that have a thick layer of comforter on them, but so far, it hasn't worked.
So, nap time is over and I'm blogging about sleeping with a cat. Oh yeah, she does snore a little. Not enough to wake the dead, but enough to keep the guy who is afraid to move awake. Trust me on this one, never take a nap with a cat.
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