I am the Alpha Cat: Cat Naps

Geez, we all want a snuggle buddy like this

I'd like to take this moment to marvel on what we refer to as "cat naps". The definition of a cat nap (or catnap with no spaces as it is shown in my dictionary) is 1. (noun) a short, light nap or doze. 2. (verb) to doze or sleep lightly. One could argue that while cats seem to nap with one eye open (or ears that constantly rotate satellite-style), my cats have perfected the nap and they can be KONKED out and they are marathon sleepers. This is no short, light nap. They can sleep like the sand man has thrown the whole bucket in their eyes and to watch them contort their bodies into comfy poses makes them look like furry noodles. This is cat yoga.

Dogs seem to be the favored partner

We've all seen the funny photos on the internet where cats are sleeping in the most unlikely places, or they've hypnotized a dog or deer, or other unsuspecting mammal to cuddle with them so they can slumber together. In my home sleepy cats approaching us are referred to as the "user kitties." Cats prefer sleeping buddies in most cases, or perhaps they have thermal vision that we are unaware of and can zero in on the hot spots of la-la-land. I definitely envy this superpower as I thrash about on some nights trying to find the best dream-inducing pose on my lumpy mattress beside my snoring (sorry, dear) husband.

Have puppy, will slumber

Too big to be ticks, can we still call them parasites?

Recently I was recovering from a bug and my darling Tigger decided to honor me with his presence during his nap time (and mine) on my bed. I know I would rest much better if he would just keep his four paws to himself, but for some crazy reason, he prefers to curl up against me and stroke my face like I'm his precious kitten. It's really sweet. I tried not to focus on where those paws have been and opened my eyes and there he was, staring at me cross-eyed with a look of such feline adoration that it was quite humbling because I know he was expressing an emotion to me and I needed to receive it. So I caught this on my camera and you can see how his fatness just spoons into me. It's a gift. But it's still not a good quality nap. It's distracting and loving so I lay there feeling adored and exhausted.

This is my beloved Tigger during naptime

I laughed out loud when I opened an application that I downloaded recently where I can scroll through photos of other people's cats laying in the strangest ways. I want to share some of my favorites. We've all seen the Yin/Yang cats where they are just making a circle together, but I need someone to explain the others...I know if I discovered my cats sleeping like this I'd go running for my camera too. I sure am grateful they had theirs...Enjoy!