Every Night They’re Cuddlin’

Posted By on October 20, 2011

It’s cold here in Chicago now. Today had a wind chill. Now granted, it was some INSANE wind, see?

But regardless, our warm temps from just last week are long gone and it’s only going to get colder. To me, this is one of the worst parts of the year. It’s such a shock to the system and there is nothing you can do about it. No amount of extra clothing, scarves, jackets and socks seem to help. It’s just COLD. But as I pointed out on Twitter this morning, in two months, this weather will seem balmy.

I realized last night that the weather has permanently shifted because of my cats.

See, I let them sleep with me. It’s hard to forbid them to do anything in my house when they have the run of it all day long while I’m at work. They may humor me when I’m home and get off the table/counter/stove when I yell, but they know that once I leave, they can go anywhere they want. Neener, neener, neener.

I don’t mind sleeping with them, for the most part. I have a queen-sized bed and there is room for the three of us. If I even think about closing my bedroom door and locking them out, they just scratch and whine until I let them in. They have realized I have no power over them. They rule the roost. I bet I have the best reputation at the school playground as being the coolest mom ever!

Anyway, in the summer, they don’t sleep very close to me. It’s more of a “well, since you’re sleeping and not going to pet me, I suppose I will sleep too. And I’ll stay in your vicinity so you can not think I’m dead. Meow.”

It’s like this:

Now Simba, he’s just naturally up in your personal space at ALL TIMES. He doesn’t just sit on your lap, he climbs up your chest so that he is lying on you, with his face near yours.

If he just sat like a normal cat, I’d let him on my lap more. That and he likes to lick you, and it’s no wonder why I shove him out of the way so often. And it’s no wonder why he pukes on my carpet.

So no matter the season, he’s sleeping close to me. He also likes to have a paw touching me, which would be cute if it wasn’t so annoying.

But come fall/winter, they realize I keep the heat on low in the house, especially at night, and that the lovely hardwood floors aren’t going to provide them any amount of warmth. I’m it. So my bed then looks like this:

The biggest problem with this is that I am used to my bed and sleeping alone. I sleep right down the middle. I use the whole bed for myself. Because it is my bed. So there are a lot of sprawled out sleeping positions. Positions that get hindered when cats are sleeping, literally, under my nose. Especially when I go to roll over and squash a cat.

I realize this isn’t an issue since they are cats and I pay the rent and I can kick them out. But this requires giving up precious sleep. So I just deal with it.

And pretty much succumb to the realization that if I ever date/marry someone, I’ll just need a king-sized bed. Especially in the winter.

#spinstertweets

About the author

Kristabella, who also answers to “Hey! Drunk Girl!”, is a reformed band geek with an amazing ability to drink most people under the table. You can read her inane ramblings here, where she talks about her exciting life as a spinster with two cats and a fascination for Bacon.

Comments

7 Responses to “Every Night They’re Cuddlin’”

  1. Mahnee says:

    Love the art work!!!

  2. Jessica says:

    The diagrams really help; I don’t have cats, so I wouldn’t have understood. Although… both my kids like to climb right up on me and keep a paw in my face too. Super annoying. But they don’t lick me, so there’s less puke involved.
    Jessica´s last blog post ..Thanks, But I Don’t Want to See Your Crotch.

  3. We turn our heat down also, especially at night, and our two cats sleep with us (well, ME, since my husband tosses and turns a lot, and I sleep pretty still). Not only do I help keep THEM warm, they help keep ME warm in return. It’s a two-way street, and works well. For us, at least.!

    One of our cats likes to sleep right in-between us, cuddled up next to me like a baby, with his head on my shoulder and a paw just touching me. And purrs himself (and me) to sleep. If there is a night when he doesn’t do it, THAT is the night I don’t sleep well, because we have gotten so used to the routine! 🙂
    Liz J in Central Illinois´s last blog post ..Random

  4. Vicki says:

    I literally could have written this blog post.
    Every single word, including having the freaky in-your-face, must lie on you and lick you, vomiting, have a paw on you when sleeping cat.
    Except, I am married so add to your diagrams my poor husband who sleeps in whatever tiny space on the bed he can!
    Cats man, it’s a damn good thing they’re cute!
    Vicki´s last blog post ..Wedding (Photo) Friday

  5. Angella says:

    I love the diagrams! And you. And your #spinstertweets
    Angella´s last blog post ..What I’ve Been Doing Instead Of Sleeping

  6. Alice says:

    i like how your feet are sticking out the bottom of the bed in both arrangements.

    last night oliver hopped into an ann taylor bag i’d reused for chris’s bday gift, and stayed in it even when chris picked it up and brought it over to me (as in “here, look! i brought you a bagcat!”)

    he liked being in the bag SO MUCH that he went to sleep with us in bed – which he never, ever does – just… inside the bag.
    Alice´s last blog post ..milestones

  7. Frank is a very bossy sleeper as well. And it is me, Jon and Frank all in a full sized bed.. (For those of you reading this comment Frank is our DOG not a third male in our bed)
    most of the time I just let him be bossy because if I don’t he will lay on top of my legs if I don’t move them-and that just hurts.
    Sensibly Sassy´s last blog post ..San Francisco Days. San Francisco Nights