The Sleeping Habits of Felines

Cats know how to nap. They have elevated the quick snooze into a fine and delicate art. Take our Oatmeal, for example (DH named her, not me). She has a morning ritual of waking DH up around 3:45, after his first alarm goes off. She'll jump on him, walk on his head, and normally lay down beside him, knitting until she either falls asleep or he wakes up. For those not familiar with felines, a cat knits by digging claws into the flesh in a methodical, repetitive pattern, sort of like testing a pillow to make sure that it is soft. It's painful.

So painful, in fact, that she's not allowed to do it to me anymore. If she begins to knit, I just kick her off the bed, or couch, or wherever we might be being lazy at the time. Not literally kick. That would be mean.

Back to napping. Cats have the right idea. They are supremely invested in their own comfort, they are happy before they nap and when they wake up, and they do it in short bursts, to remain fresh throughout the day. How can one who has slept most of the night then take a nap at 7:30? Ask Oatmeal. This morning, she jumps on my head (I don't even need an alarm, thank you), walks down my back and lays right in front of me. I wrap my arm around her like I'm holding a pillow, she rests her chin on my propped up elbow, and purrs for about 3 minutes before she falls asleep for 15. Then, she wakes up, purring, and jumps down to take a bath in her water bowl (she's odd) and find every toy in the house.

Why can't we all take 20 minute naps, play in our water bowls, and then play with our toys? Perhaps in my next life...