Pose of repose

Every feline denizen of the House of Chaos seems to has developed his -or in one case her- own unique individual sleeping pose. You might think that the average kitty would simply curl up and snore, but rest assured that this is only the “base pose”. Something like “base position” in ballet. The possibilities, once past that first pose, are endless and actually only limited by the creativity and personal weirdness of the cat. It could also be dictated by his sense of safety. And self-confidence.

A lot of cats curl up, that’s a fact. Sometimes they keep it at the half-curl, where their paws are folded alongside the body, but often you’ll find an almost perfectly round furry ball that snores. Other felines prefer to just lie down on their stomachs, paws folded neatly underneath, like a Sphinx. And then there’s the classical kitten-pose: stretched all out all over the place, legs akimbo, upside-down or just in such an impossible angle that leaves you wondering what demon it belongs to. But usually the sleeping pose is dictated by the following circumstances: status of the cat in the household, the possibility of violence happening to the napping kitty, the temperature and the basic comfort of the napping spot.

Judging on those premises you might think that Zorro would sleep like a pasha, flat on his back, legs sprawled all over the place because he is Da Numba One Kitty Of Da House ?
Nope.
He’s an obsessive curler. His is the “sleeping tight” part of the night wish. His favourite place is at the insides of simian’s knees. Or on top of the simian’s legs if convenient. And if that isn’t possible the dressing gown of The Mistress will do in a pinch. But wherever you can find him sleeping you’ll find him rolled up into a tight ball and alert to any sound or movement in his surroundings. Do not be deceived by the angelic expression on that soft furry snoring face. One moment you’re looking at a cuddly teddy-bear, next you’re trying to fend off a 4-limbed buzz-saw. Zorro never warns.

Having been the brunt of his sibling’s displeasure for 10 years now you might think that Loup-Garou would be a furtive sleeper, anxiously perched somewhere and ever alert to his brother’s presence.
He’s not.
In fact, he can adopt quite relaxed sleeping positions and the only requisition for him to lay down someplace is that said place is soft and comfy. Preferably simian. Once settled in he will simply fold his ample body alongside whatever he’s sleeping next to. His spot of preference, however, is The Mistress’ head. On top of. But when it’s Winter and the night is chilly our black baby prefers to burrow under the down cover of The Nest. And then he lies between Grumpy Man and The Mistress in perfect purring contentment. By day he can be found snoring blissfully on top of the dirty laundry.

Bean Sidhe is another knee-snuggler. This massive kitty just likes to lie upon, over, across and on top of a simain’s legs. But when the simian in question dares to move in his/her sleep a loud protest will be emitted by the indignant feline. He so does not like to be disturbed in his naps ! Bean Sidhe is also an obsessive clean-laundry napper. No matter how precarious he has to perch upon a pile of clean laundry, it must be conquered and turned into the most luxurious and clean-smelling bed of the premises. Since his massive form is too big for a full curl-up he has adopted the “fold position”: head to toes and tail alongside the rest.

Hrimnir is more of an eclectic sleeper. You can find him securely ensconced in the embrace of Morpheus just about anywhere short of a railroad track (and that is because there’s no railroad close-by). His sleeping positions depend on the spot really, like a furry ball in the dirty or clean laundry, or a blissful on-the-back in the couch. Only in the midst of Winter, during the coldest night possible, will you find him curled up tightly. You could say he prefers his freedom. When sleeping he sometimes gives the impression of being a very very flat cat. Yeah, well that’s Hrimnir.

Franky is the weird one really. Apart from his preference to sleep closely snuggled against his sister he usually can be found lying on his back in the most splendid way on the couch or in The Nest. On the couch he has been observed to stretch out in his sleep and taking up every available space possible. Not that he’s a hog or anything, he’s just … expressive in his sleeping habits. And when you wake him up he responds with the most endearing chirrup I’ve ever heard coming from a feline.

Frankette is, you might say, a bit of the odd-ball in the House of Chaos. When she isn’t curled up against her brother she can be found on any spot away from the cold floor and always on her belly, usually with her paws underneath herself. She looks very contented when she does that, but we suspect she actually does it because she still isn’t sure about her place in this household and prefers to adopt a position from which she can swiftly flee when menace -or Zorro- approaches. However, on those rare occasions when she does sleep in the vicinity of a simian (on in The Nest) she has this look on her tiny furry face of utter, total, all-encompassing and complete bliss. No other cat looks that serene I tell you ! Or that happy.

Picture below: Sibling bliss.

It’s weekend again, my… time flies by, and thus we have the usual bunch over at The Friday Ark, The Carnival of the Cats over at This, That And The Other Thing, Weekend Cat Blogging with Cat Blogosphere and The Bad Kitty Cats of Chaos which will be hosted by Pet’s Garden Blog.