We got Winnie shortly after we lost our cat Larkspur. He was a lovebug and rarely got into things he shouldn't. Winnie is not cut from the same cloth. After posting about our loss on Facebook, a friend suggested Winnie might be perfect for us. I was reluctant, because it was far sooner than I was ready for. But it turned out to be just what I needed. I sometimes refer to her as my therapy cat. Not because she's well behaved, you understand, but because she is a great distraction. She is my shadow. Even now as I write this, she is at my side to "help".
In the beginning, she was still in her tiny-kitten-sleeps-all-day stage. Coincidentally, I was going through yet another med change which left me inclined to sleep all day as well. We were soulmates. Because of my fibro and a side order of Reynaud's, I am always cold. Always. Even in California in August. Since Winnie has no body fat, she is constantly looking to snuggle, especially under the covers. As such, I broke my long standing "no cats in the bedroom" rule and she began to edge my husband out of bed. At least SHE doesn't snore. (Interesting side bar- for some reason on the nights I work, my husband locks her out of the bedroom. Guess he likes sleeping on the bed as opposed to the floor!) Each night when she is ready for bed, she will frantically scour the house looking for me. When she finds me, she will begin to purr. My oldest son likens her purr to a motorcycle. He's not wrong. She jumps into bed and plasters herself as close as she can get. Often, she gets me in trouble. I am absurdly ticklish. When she crawls up onto my collarbone, she sets me off on a raucous giggling fit. Since theoretically we are supposed to be trying to settle down to sleep, my husband is not amused by this game. Ever start laughing at an inappropriate time, so you try real hard to stifle it? Which, of course, makes you laugh harder still. The struggle is real. I believe she knows she is getting me in trouble. So the dance on my collarbone continues. Finally we settle down and usually the simple act of cuddling with her is enough to help me fall asleep. You see, in a cruel stroke of irony, lots of people with fibro have trouble falling and staying asleep. But wait, you say. Isn't that the condition that makes you sleep all of the time? Yes. But not soundly. The theory is that, in part, you never really fall into a deep, restful sleep because of the pain. So you are always tired. At least Winnie gives me a fighting chance though. I rarely take anything to fall asleep anymore and believe me, that's a victory.
Now that she is getting older, though, her interests are broadening. Like tiny football men. One of the boys got Madden 17 for Christmas. Winnie enjoys watching the little football men run all over the screen, and often pauses to offer them a high five or a congratulatory pat on the butt. (She knows to leave Gronk alone, though, as he is mine!) She will hear the kids come home from school and runs around upstairs until such time as someone plays tiny football men. Yes. We are all controlled by this minuscule dictator. She has recently broadened tiny football men into a real live version of the game to be played downstairs with the dog. The 2 of them often play tag, crashing through furniture and getting into all sorts of things they shouldn't. The other day, they finally pushed my mild mannered husband over the edge. He put them in time out in Wolf's crate. We are not allowed in Wolf's crate, but obviously he can't say no to his kitten. So he tolerates it when she goes in there on her own. I believe this was an insult too much for him to bear, though. They were only in there for a few minutes, but their faces tell a great story. I was upstairs sleeping after having worked the night before. I woke up to a text of this little gem:
I thought it was the greatest picture ever. Then my daughter informed me that there was one better. In this one, Winnie looks quite ready to escape from prison and track down her jailer!
So while the ADA ruling may never stretch quite far enough to cover the likes of Winnie, I think she's found a permanent job here. After all, it would take a far braver person than I to say no to that little face!
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