This morning at 4:30AM, my cat Lulu decided to jump from the top of the bedroom radiator to the top of the armoire, which is more than six feet high. I was awakened by her clunking around. I sat up, saw her, and said, "Good Lord!" She knew she wasn't supposed to be up there, so she took a flying leap from the top of the armoire to the bed, landing on my husband. She scared the wits out of him and the kitten, who was sleeping next to him.

My husband and I wanted to go back to sleep, but the kitten was wide awake. He went in the bathroom and proceeded to knock plastic bottles into the bathtub. At that hour, the acoustics are especially good. I yelled at the kitten to knock it off, and to distract him, called him back into the bedroom. I gave him some cat treats from a container that I keep on my nightstand. I petted him a bit, and he was happy and purring.

I was just about asleep when I hear more clunking. My husband says, "She's on top the armoire again." She heard his voice and leaped down. The kitten gave chase and they raced downstairs.

After a while, things quieted down. Then I heard a "Clunk" and something rolling. The kitten had knocked the cat treats off my nightstand and was rolling the cylindrical container across the hardwood floor. Lulu ignored the kitten and vigorously sharpened her claws on the scratching post at the foot of the bed. At this point, my husband was really annoyed and decided to just get up and start the day. I wasn't ready.

I snuggled under the covers and hoped to get just a little more sleep. Soon, I feel four little paws walking up my body. A soft paw tapped my nose twice. At this point, I realized that sleep was futile.

So now I'm on my second cup of coffee and am feeling grouchy. And the cats? They're sleeping, of course.

Copyright © Cadillac Woman
June 2, 2001

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