We always had cats around when I was growing up, and they generally had the run of the house. But, Mom had a "No Cats on the Beds" rule. Even if she hadn't, the last thing we did at night before bedtime was to let in the dog and put out the cats. This seemed to be a Universal Law and I followed it for many years and many cats, until we got Kitty.

The first day we had him he was scared and lonely, except when he was being held. When I put him down he would use the litter box or eat and then hide in an inaccessible spot under the furniture and mew pitifully until I could coax him out and cuddle him in my arms. Then, he would relax and sleep for hours. I held him most of the day.

By bedtime he was a lot better. He would walk around exploring a bit, but when we went to bed, he hid again and sounded really sad. I got him out and we took him to bed with us. He slept the whole night and even purred a bit.

The next day he spent exploring and playing, and only a couple times did he walk around meowing looking for his mother. At bedtime he was still kind of nervous so we took him to bed again. We woke early because he peed the bed. We changed the bedding and went back to sleep. I think this happened because he was too little to jump down from the bed, or he was too scared to go to his litter box which was at the other end of the house.

By the third day, he had settled in and become a member of the family. He had found a chair that he claimed, and a basket that he liked to sleep in. When bedtime came he was asleep in his chair so we didn't bother him. When we got up the next morning he was still sleeping, but I could tell from his litter box and his food dish that he had used them during the night. This became his routine for about the next week, but all that time he was getting to know more about his new environment and was exploring every room.

Then one night as we were just about to fall asleep, we heard him come in the bedroom. He explored around a bit then jumped up on the bed purring like a motorboat. He found a spot between us, stretched out, and went to sleep. Now, every night he either follows us to bed or comes in a few minutes later. He loves to hide under the bed and play tag with our feet as we walk by getting ready for bed. After we are in bed and the light is off, he plays around for a few minutes then jumps up on the bed purring and finds his spot.

Usually he settles down between us at about hip level, but sometimes he comes up right between our heads. This is our favorite spot for him to sleep because we can hear him purr and can sometimes feel his fur with our faces. Having your face against a sleeping purring cat has to be one of the most pleasant sensations in the world.

It used to be that when I or my wife would start to snore, the other one would give a gentle nudge to turn off the noise. When Kitty stops purring we give him a gentle nudge to turn it back on. We used to occasionally squabble about "hogging the blankets". Now we squabble about "hogging the cat".

We just love sleeping with Kitty and it has gotten so I can't fall asleep until he comes to bed.

Copyright © Chuck Hintlian
September 1, 2001