When I was asked to do an informative Q & A about living in a multi-cat household for the Cats the Boss site a couple weeks ago, it got me to thinking about one of the questions, “Do your cats sleep on the bed with you?” Is that really a question? I don’t think I’ve seen the top of my bed without a cat on top of it since, when, well, um… never! And whose fault is that? Well, mine, of course… But I would never consider shutting the door and keeping them out of the room. I will uncomfortably sleep at the edge of the bed each and every night and suffer unbearably, so long as the cats are completely undisturbed and content…

All seven cats are sound asleep... good luck to the humans when it is time for bed!

This got me to thinking about one of the funniest cat antidotes I shared in my book (for me anyhow), The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey, that broached this very subject. Written with what I like to call an Erma Bombeck style of wit and honesty, I thought I might as well share the excerpt with you so that you could fully understand the extent of “Do your cats sleep on the bed with you?”  Okay, from Chapter 24, entitled, “And So It Is,” I bring you my funny story of how my gynecologist unwittingly became a part of my book:

“… I went to my annual gynecological checkup and told my doctor I thought I was going through menopause because I was sometimes sweating profusely during the night and would wake up drenched. Clearly I was experiencing hot flashes, right? He flat out confirmed that it was physically impossible and asked about my sleeping patterns… turns out having a blanket made of assorted cats sleeping on, next, or near you in the same bed at night can cause the same symptoms as menopause… He also confirmed with all certainty, that he thought I was certifiably nuts. Apparently sharing a bed with seven cats and one human is not normal…”

Jazz is 14 years old and I think he really likes to feel the warmth of my body when he sleeps on top of me.

To be fair, typically all seven are not on the bed at the same time. Jazz and Harley are the only two that stick to me religiously like glue. And I mean they literally stick to me like glue. If I toss, they toss. If I turn, they turn. Both of them sleep on top of me and that is that, hence the hot flashes… Zee makes several appearances throughout the night, as he has a very important ritual that he rigidly adheres to every night. He will stay in bed with us for a while, then he leaves for what we call his “nightly ritual of homage.” He literally feels compelled to bring us gifts throughout the night. We will hear him enter the bedroom as he makes a loud and garbled meowing noise. We then hear a plunk, as a plush toy is dropped to the floor. He will meow loudly until we thank him for his gift. This happens between 5 to 7 times each night and I think he has even hit double digits on occasion! No wonder the dear boy naps all day long – he has to rest for his night-shift! The rest of the cats will randomly come in and out throughout the night. So, to answer the question, yes, our cats do sleep on the bed with us… Someone needs to use the bed for sleeping since it isn’t Dan or I!!

There is no doubt a lot of serious stuff when it comes to cats – cat overpopulation on the streets and in the shelters is a subject we have been trying to tackle for months now and there is still a long way to go before the problem is solved. But, sometimes we need a break from all that heavy stuff, just to talk about cats being cats…. or what I called in Chapter 22 of my book, “Cattitude & Cattisms.”  This chapter was so much fun for me to write, because it is all about the universally wonderful personality traits, habits, quirks, and mannerisms that our cats possess to one degree or another to let us humans know we are NOT in charge. Read more

Well, it’s hereby been officially decreed by our cat Rolz, that March 17th is forever more going to be called St. CAT-rick’s Day!! Whoo hoo! He is so excited in his own bored and aloof way to let you all know that his photo won first place over at his pal Brian’s blog for the “2012 Nimbus Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Photo Contest.”

Rolz won’t admit it, but I will. ALL of the photos were AMAZING and every one of them was a winner to me. We are thrilled too, that our good kitty pals Cody and Sammy & Moosey placed! Plus, just the fact that you’re a cat, makes you all even more special to me! Thanks for the votes every one and Happy St. Pat, opps, I mean, Happy St. CAT-rick’s Day!!!