CAT NAPS

I have always been a "napper". My Father probably got me started on it. He nightly tried to get in 15-20 minutes of nap time between arriving home from work & dinner. He always seemed "refreshed" afterwards.

I started napping in college. Friday afternoons were my best naps. POWER NAPS. Strip the clothes, get under the covers & snooze for several hours. Get ready for the Friday night activities.

Truth be told, those power naps were to help me recover from the "all-nighter" on Thursday. Friday was the day when the weekly art project was due for submission. There was never any rush to get the assignment done during the week. Suddenly it was the night before & it was either the project to complete, or go to sleep.

Ahhhhh ... the value of a good "make-up-sleep-nap".

Now that I am older, I have two basic naps. Both are utilized in an average week for me, but, never both in the same day. One nap a day is all that is allowed.

My main nap is the morning nap on the couch. I get up early in the morning & have enough early activities done by around 9 A.M., I will often lay down on the couch to read a book & allow for some "dozing" time. The "couch nap" does leave me vulnerable for my momma kitty, Precious, to come running down the stairs [thundering is more like it] to join me -- ON ME -- for some quality relaxing time. Nothing like an 85 lb. gray-tabby cat stretched out on my eight inch chest scar. OOF !!

My secondary nap is usually reserved for afternoons. It's for when I am tired, but don't want to read or watch TV before dropping off to sleep. The "bed nap" is for serious ... "I'm-going-to-sleep-now-and-that's-all -I-am -planning -to-do" napping. These naps are utilized most often when there will be something on TV later that night which I want to see & be alert to watch. These naps help me to stay up beyond my usual 8 P.M. bedtime.


Bed naps will also most often find me joined by one or more cats, usually Nibblets, [In photo] but sometimes THE WOBBLER as well. Precious isn't much of a "bed cat", which allows me to sleep on the bed in different positions, not just on my back, as I would be on the couch, with 100 lbs. of cat on me.

Occasionally, I find my daily nap has not provided me the staying power to be active & alert after my [4 P.M.] dinner. I'll be watching TV & just feel like I need a few winks. In that case ... I go to bed. Who cares what time it is ??

Jerry Seinfeld did a joke on his show about his Mother warning him as a child not to spoil his appetite for dinner. As an adult he learned -- so what if I spoil my appetite ?? I'll have another !!

Same with bed time. So what if I go to bed ... "early" ?? I'll just get up early.

If I need more sleep ... I'll take a nap. With cats. A "cat nap".