A purring bed-mate

The British hotel-chain Travelodge has done some research and came with interesting findings: they have discovered that more men than women sleep with a teddybear. 20 % of the male respondents to a query, and 15 % of the female respondents, admitted that they need a teddy-bear in order to fall asleep. 63 % respondents said they need a hug from their partner. 8 % of the women and 3 % of the men sprayed perfume or aftershave of the partner on a pillow in order to feel less lonely in bed. Oh my. And to think that all you really need is a cat…

Cats are our friends. They are our companions in good times and bad times. A cat will always snuggle close to you (if you allow him to that is) and the soothing rumble of his purrs will always gently lullaby you to sleep. All of this in return for some kibbles and a bowl of water, a roof above his head and a pillow underneath his royal feline posterior, a caress and a friendly word. The cat seems demanding, but all he really wants in return for his precious friendship and company is a bit of comfort. Perfect deal.

Okay, I must admit that there are some cats who won’t snuggle close to you. Some are cranky and hate it, some won’t trust you, some prefer the quiet of their own little nests. But most can’t resist the soft lure of The Nest: seductively beckoning them with the fluffy-soft pillows and the down-filled cover, enticing the feline with promises of good snuggles and a warm comfortable repose to come if he would only submit to the good-gracious all-encompassing glow of its home-coming embrace. The Nest is Home. The Nest is where the simians retire to after a long day of hard work, where they can unwind and relax, and do feel disposed to treat an enterprising kitty with the overload of scritches and snuggles any self-respecting kitty covets. It is Quality Time for all to enjoy and revel in. A moment of true bonding between hedonist and servant.

So why be content with a lifeless ball of plastic pelt when you can have the real and warm living, breathing, wriggling, purring scratchy thing ? Granted, a cat needs a bit of maintenance and he can at times be a grand nuisance, but when you compare his lithe body with an inanimate lump of faux fur, his glittering eyes full of malice and glee with two dead plastic buttons, his raspy tickly little tongue with a plastic of felt flap, his mobile and sensitive aural organs with two flaps of whatchamacallit mystery tissue, his prehensile and downy-soft tail with a stump you’d rather not look too closely at, and his fuzzy soft little paws with several lifeless appendages not worth the bother of identifying what they were made of… who will win ? The cat of course ! That smiling walking talking breathing living doll !
Well yes, I admit, a cat smirks, and prowls, and meows. But you get the message.

Now picture this… it’s the end of yet another typical day that was filled with all kinds of nuisances (bosses) and stress (bosses) but now you ease your tired body down unto The Nest and prepare for a few hours of bliss. Then you hear the soft patter-patter of The Real Boss entering the room. He slowly sails over to The Nest and his crooked tail imperiously inquires whether there is a.) an occupant and b.) the occupant has fingers with which the owner of said tail can be scritched. Curiosity satisfied the cat then hops onto The Nest and occupant and demands instant satisfaction of long-starved senses by deft application of fingers to pelt. The Purr-motor spurs into action, and feline limbs start administering proper encouragement of the Good Stuff forthcoming (hey, it worked with Mama Cat to get Milk didn’t it ?) while the rest of the feline form undulates under the gentle caresses in order to get each and every spot thoroughly pleasured. Then movement slows down, into a physical equivalent of drowsy murmuring, and the rumbling purr slowly ceases while the source of said purr gently drifts off into slumber. A warm body now lies snuggled into the crook of your arm, or on your shoulder, or anywhere else where the cat finds it’s comfortable, and you -the human- find yourself gazing down upon the prone and somnambulant cat wondering how the heck did this killing machine get this close to your jugular. In case you didn’t notice… you’re sleeping with a tiger.
Now, what kind of teddy-bear is a match for that ?

In the Nest of Chaos there are usually 2 of these furry bed-mates active: Loup-Garou and Bean Sidhe. Only very rarely does Zorro feel he needs the human presence badly enough to risk sleeping in the vicinity of his brother. Or any other cat for that matter. And on those nights when he does deign to grace The Nest with his august presence you won’t find any of the other felines around. Maybe Bean Sidhe might try to sneak in, but he’s become wiser over the past months, and has taken to rather avoid Zorro’s ire than provoke it – even if he does win the ensuing fights. Bean Sidhe seems to be developing a kind of sensitivity to the dignity of the older cats that we didn’t expect from our clowny coonie. But then, perhaps to Bean Sidhe’s eyes, we are all teddy-bears to play and snuggle with, and Zorro is merely a booby-trapped teddy-bear.

Pictures below:

A very very rare occurence… Zorro sleeping in The Nest, and on The Mistress’ pillow no less ! (Bad quality due to picture having been taken with a cell phone at night, Grumpy Man turned on the light and The Mistress was Not Amused…)

Bean Sidhe giving an excellent demonstration of a booby-trapped teddy-bear.