Chair by night

Mitzi tends to rotate her favorite spots. There's the chair, the bed Jenny and I made for her, the spare pillow on my bed, and a new favorite is apparently my back.

Lately, my back has been tight between my shoulder blades. This is new and unusual, and I think the result of Mitzi sitting on my back while I sleep. I'm not entirely sure about this, however, since I'm asleep... Do you think a 6 pound cat perching herself on my back would wake me up? Although there's no direct proof, I have my suspicions. For instance, she's been making herself quite at home on my back (usually on one shoulder blade or the other) when I go to bed, before falling asleep, and also if I get up in the middle of the night for some reason. Of course, at these times, since I'm conscious, I wiggle around until she decides to go hang out somewhere that isn't on top of me. I don't get it. While my back may be a little warmer than the pillow or the chair or her bed, it certainly isn't as cushy! And it moves around. Maybe this is "adventure lounging"? Oh, the thrills it must afford!

This is probably all my fault. Mitzi used to only sit on laps. She'd get upset if you didn't have a lap, but she wouldn't try to sit on you until you did. But then I tried to teach her how to give back rubs. It seemed like a good idea at the time, like a skill that would be very highly valued in a cat. So I would lure her onto my back while I was lying on my stomach, usually by flailing my arms around behind me to demonstrate how well I would still be able to pet her. She fell for this pretty quickly, but unfortunately, never progressed beyond being a heating pad. In order to give a good back rub, she would have to continue walking around on my back. Instead, she generally just hunkers down on a shoulder blade right away.

And with that, the dam really broke. Now she'll sit on top of me no matter what my position. She'll make anything a lap! If I'm on my stomach, she'll sit on my back or my butt. If I'm on my side, she'll sit precariously atop my hip. She's been experimental lately, and has also discovered how nice it is to spoon. Such a cuddle addict!