Target is a happy cat who loves to snuggle.
It's cold in England, there's frost and harsh winds, which means it's sniffle season. As I was also hit with a bout of back pain – which makes moving tricky – we humans decided to sleep apart for a few days so we could get some quality rest.
Target was delighted.
When I staggered upstairs and crawled carefully under the covers, Target bounced in, snuggled next to me, plopped his head on my pillow, and then stretched out his paws and tail, occupying the entire centre of the bed.
Target adores napping with his head on the pillow.
Back pain is unpredictable and after days of random spasms and an incipient cold to boot, I was tense. But as Target nestled into me and purred, I began to unwind. Soothed by the warmth and companionship, I drifted off into healing sleep.
About two hours later, I was startled back to consciousness by Target pushing icy paws against my side. He had cold ears too, and chilly fur.
I thought he'd been down to the kitchen for a late-night cat biscuit. I put my arm around him, and dropped off again.
At 4am, frozen paws once again pushed into me. Although I was grumpy, I put the second awakening down to our old boy having an elderly bladder. He's 17 and so pops into the litter box at odd times for a pee.
But the following night was worse! Not only was I coughing, which hurt in interesting new ways, but I was tortured by icy paws at midnight, 2am and 4am. Each time I bolted awake, Target slid in, yawned, and dozed off, happily ensconced in the duck feather duvet.
It got to me and I wondered if this was down to cat circadian rhythms.
Cats are crepuscular, meaning they're most active at dusk and dawn. Back home in Malaysia, Target, Tic Tac and Inkie headed to the roof at 6am and 7pm. They would watch the birds and the squirrels, chattering and chirping with excitement.
In the UK, daylight varies wildly. In summer, the sun rises at 4.30am and sets at 9.45pm. Now it's winter, dawn hits at 8.30am and it's dark by 3.45pm.
Although Inkie and Tic Tac were fascinated by their first English summer and were up very early at first, it didn't last. They checked out the bird life at dawn and then went back to bed.
Target absolutely refused to get up, not even when the fledglings took practice flights from the tree outside our bedroom window. He snuggled with me and grumbled when the others tried to get him to come and see the fun.
So while the cats have their inbuilt patterns, they also adapt. We are a family, we spend our days together, and so the furries built their schedule around ours.
Inkie is always an early bird, wide awake and ready for action at 6am, whether there is daylight or not. Tic Tac is with him but our cheerleader princess needs an extra few minutes to brush her fur and open her pretty blue eyes properly.
We humans are up and about half an hour later, Target following while yawning as we serve tuna and coffee.
During the day, the humans work while the furries play, snoopervise and nap.
As a semi-retired old boy, Target goes straight back to bed after breakfast and snoozes. Aside from a few office check-ins, he stays under the covers until the end of business.
When he hears us gather downstairs, discussing our day, Target reappears. He spends the evening with us, wrestling with Tic Tac, playing race and chase with Inkie, eating dinner and sitting on my lap for pets.
Target is with his humans every evening, watching TV and playing games. Photos: Ellen Whyte
The cats love their busy day, and by the time we humans call it a night, they're happy to come with us. It helps that we have a big tuna supper just before. Driven by food coma, Tic Tac sleeps in the hall, Inkie in the spare room and Target with me.
So while I wasn’t surprised Target enjoyed the opportunity to hog a large part of the bed, I couldn’t figure out why he was up and down like a yo-yo.
I thought about it and then checked the weather and the phase of the moon. No huge sudden early morning squalls to upset the tree by the house, and a very new moon.
Baffled, I put it to Tom. “Do you think maybe he’s not well? Should we find a vet?”
My husband looked at me, grinned and delivered a bombshell. “It’s probably your snoring.”
Having lived with the equivalent of a human volcano primed for action for 30 years, instinct told me to deny it. But then I remembered having a dry throat in the morning. Also, I got trapped lying on my back for some time and there was that persistent sniffle.
The truth doused me with dismay. Poor Target. He had the expectation of a wonderful few sybaritic nights spreading out all over the bed in splendorous comfort and there was me, roaring away like a jet engine.
The cold paws in my side were clearly a cry for help. He must have spent the night becoming more and more frustrated, eventually pushed into plotting the cat version of shock therapy.
I apologised, offered reparations in the form of tuna and goop, dosed myself with a gallon of ginger tea and shoved a pillow at my back to keep me lying on my side.
Since then, both Target and I have enjoyed a wonderful night’s sleep. As a bonus, my back is almost back to normal. Peace and harmony have been restored.
Adopt Me
Viola is female, fully vaccinated and spayed. Born at the end of January 2024, this is Viola’s birthday month.
Photo: SPCA Penang/Lily Leng
She is very excited by toys, but she doesn't like to share. Thankfully, she does get along well with other cats. Aside from being a huge fan of toys and games, she’s also very keen on treats.
Interested adopters, please contact SPCA Penang, Jalan Jeti Jelutong, 11600 Jelutong, Penang. Phone: 04-281 6559. Website: https://spca-penang.net
