The life of a Catholic school teacher

I realized the other night that my ginger cat Joey is often the subject of my blog posts. In fact, the last Weekly Dose of Joey was all about his routine before settling in for the night and the comfort it brings me. My tuxedo kitty Faye deserves the spotlight now. Well, she doesn't deserve it so much as she demands it. Faye's name derives from Faye Dunaway, the actress who played Joan Crawford in the movie "Mommie Dearest". To play the part of Joan Crawford, Faye Dunaway had to give a very dramatic performance, similar to the performance that Faye (the cat) gave on her way to my apartment in her kitty carrier after I adopted her from a family I had found on craigslist. The wailing and clinging to the side of the cat carrier brought to mind the classic movie, and thus, Faye received her name.

Throughout the five years since that initial car ride, Faye has not wavered in her demands for attention. To say that Faye is vocal is an understatement. She is a sharp contrast to Joey, who is aloof and likes to keep his distance, only wanting attention when he is good and ready.

In these past five years, Faye and I have developed a nightly routine. Being the obsessive snuggler that she is, any instance of my fiance and I being in any sort of a horizontal position on the couch or in bed is, in her mind, an invitation to climb onto our bellies and lay with her head on our chests. As a kitten, this was adorable and even welcomed, however, Faye is no longer a kitten and has gained considerable weight since then (17 pounds to be exact). The fact that she is as heavy as a small watermelon has not deterred her from climbing on me at night when I first get into bed. Though I think it's sweet that she does this, I have instituted a new way to snuggle with her each night, one that does not reduce my air intake.

Every night, after the lights have been turned off and I'm settled in bed, Faye, without fail, will jump up on the nightstand. She will then walk down the edge of the bed and lay on my left leg for a while. Next, she will get up and walk back up to the nightstand and turn around and come back onto the bed where she will finally lay down against my side with her front legs and paws resting in the crook of my elbow which I have positioned in such a way so that when she lays down, I have my arm around her. We will lay like that until one of two things happen. I will either be on the verge of falling asleep and she will jump down on her own and be on her merry way, or I will gently nudge her so that she'll jump down and I can stretch out my arm again. For five years, we have bonded this way each and every night. Sometimes I can psych her out and pretend to be asleep when she arrives on my nightstand. Reaching my hand up to pet her is the signal for her to do her rounds on the edge of the bed before settling against my side. If I don't reach my hand up, she goes away. This is a gamble though, because sometimes she will take offense to this and go into the living room and get into some mischief, i.e. tear apart some of my knitting. This is why it's best to just let her lay on me for a little while so she feels loved and does not feel a need to be destructive. Of course, up until about a month ago, this was a silent routine. Those nights are over because now she jumps onto the nightstand and meows at me until my hand goes up, giving her the green light. Of course I can't let her continue to meow, unless I want my fiance to wake up, so on and on the ritual goes...each night...without fail.

For your viewing pleasure, I have a snapshot of Faye in action. I have a tendency to also let her lay on me when I am napping on the couch. I can position my body in a better way on the couch so that her girth is resting more on the back of the couch than on my stomach. This works until she has the desire to get down, in which case, her four paws dig painfully into my flesh as she uses me as a launching pad. This photo was skillfully taken while I began a nap on the couch. My cellphone was within reach, thus my ability to capture the typical "Faye" moment.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•