While dogs know how to circle and flop over and sleep with abandon, veteran observers of felines may reflect that cats take a different approach. Just as a physician practices medicine and an attorney practices law, cats practice sleeping. It is their business, their calling. Well, OK, cats have several callings, but a napping cat is a work of art.
Thus, for this weekend's version of "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap," we turn to Frank and Edna Taylor of Houston and their confident nappers Rascal P. Kat and Crazy Mazie.
Note how Rascal P. Kat blends his form with the form of the pillow. This is a cat who paid attention to how he'd approach his nap -- like an Olympic diver making certain the bend of the legs is good enough to catch the judge's eye.
And Rascal may really appreciate being able to enjoy a pillow! He's got asphalt in his background.
Edna says, "One night Frank and I were taking a walk and we saw a cute, skinny, black and white kitty laying in the street."
Sleeping with a pillow beats sleeping on the pavement any day of the week.
"He followed us home and kept looking in the window and meowing so I put him in the bathroom until we could get him to the vet the next day," recalls Edna. "We assumed he was only 6 months old because he was so skinny. The vet said he was 8 years old and starving. Of course, we added him to our ever-growing herd of kitties and he is now a 20-pound love bug and has been with us for about 6 years."
Edna says, "Crazy Mazie has found what she considers the best spot in the house to sleep and that is ON Dad."
That's Mazie stretched out atop Frank. And, as you can see in the photo of Mazie on the mantle, if she can't sleep on Frank, she'll go to the mantle and meditate next to the plaque with "Frank" on it and await Dad's return to the bed.
Mazie has a story, too. "Crazy Mazie was found by some kids in Houston," Edna says. "She had been tortured and then tied up with electrical wire and duct tape. They even taped her mouth and nose so she could not breathe. I saw the email go out asking for a foster home and Frank and I knew we had to foster her. We ended up keeping her because no one would understand her occasional biting and no one could love her as much as we do."
Edna recalls that "when we got her, she had been so traumatized from the torture that when someone would try to pick her up or walk towards her, she would growl at you and come at you swinging!
"Even though she is tiny, she wasn't afraid of ANYTHING, so, because she came at you with such fury and is so small and covered in fur, Frank calls her 'Two Pounds of Furry.'
"Her little paw that she used to swat at you had to be rebuilt by our vet because it was all mangled. Now, when she wants sympathy she will hold it up and hop over to us. We just love her!"
And, there you have it, folks, two rescued cats who have found safe places to nap.
(Remember, if you've got a sleeper or napper at your house, send a photo and info to [email protected] and Readlarrypowell.com will feature the slumberer in our weekend spotlight, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. At Readlarrypowell.com we celebrate the ability to sleep, the joy of napping. We're insomniacs -- and we are in wide-eyed awe of any critters who can sleep.)
