I often tell people I’ve never had a cold night since I’ve had Cornish Rex Cats living with me. My DSH Tabbies slept with me too, but never in the bed. They preferred their own beds in the dark closet. The only warming Tubba or Clyde would do for me is to sit on my feet. Jake and Maus on the other hand are like second skin when the weather starts to cool. Now that Moshe, my Sphynx, is here…well, that just turns the sauna up a notch. For those of you who either don’t own cats or don’t know much about the follicle-challenged variety, the core body temperature of the average cat is about 102 degrees. Cornish Rexes and Sphynes run about a degree or two above that, 104 degrees. Why? It takes a lot of energy to maintain warmth when you don’t have hair.
My normal morning starts with all three climbing on top of me. Moshe is licking my face and then lays his head on my neck. Jake is yelling at me in increasingly louder spans inching closer and closer to my head. Maus, my sweet girl, walks up to my face, rubs her head against my forehead and then proceeds to pull my C-pap mask off my face. They want me up and since they have me well trained, I oblige them. We all stroll into the kitchen for a light breakfast. While they eat I can usually make the bed, sweep the floor, shovel litter and then maybe go the bathroom, alone if I’m lucky. As I go out to leave for my day of work I am walked to the door for the morning count; one, two, three cats. It’s ok for me to leave now. This morning in contrast started a bit differently.
The TV, programmed to turn on at 4:00 am does not wake me up quickly, and neither does the cats. Jake, in the small of my back is doing his usual morning commentary, but he’s doing it from under the blanket. He does come out for a brief moment. He makes a sound as if to say “Danm” and promptly runs back under the covers. Moshe, his face and one paw being the only part of his body visible taps me on the cheek twice and then retreats further into the abyss of fuzzy blankets. Maus, the only cat actually in the cat bed at the corner of my bed has wrapped herself around my arm and won’t let go. Then I look over to the corner of my bedroom. I left the window opened last night.
I get up to close the window and start my normal routine. But as I go to my task in the kitchen, my parade of nakedness does not follow. I decide to feed them a few tablespoons of warmed feline milk and the Blue Buffalo Wilderness kibble mixed with some warmed chicken. Not the most kosher meal, but the smell did get them to slowly come forth to a quick head/body rub and waiting bowls.
I promptly make the bed and head for the bathroom. Thirty seconds into it I hear the familiar pounding of little paws at the door and then the chorus of barks and mews begging to be let in. It is normal for all three to come in, but usually by the time I’m finished my shower only one if any have remained to the end. This morning the audience was full and sat for the entire show.
I dressed, have my first cup of coffee, listen to the news of the morning and then hoisted my backpack and headed for the door. I turn to do the count; all are AWOL. Back to the bedroom, I still see none. Under the fuzzy piles I notice some stirrings; I grope, one, two, three warm something-or-other. Assuming they were the naked Kids, I leave to face the world.
How was your morning?
