My Cat Snores, While I Search for Sleep

Riel has been in my life for just over four years, and we’ve developed a bond. Before I had Riel, I didn’t understand what it meant to have a pet that you really care for. I thought that pets were simply subjects in a one-sided relationship.

Last night, while trying to fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning, it dawned on me, how much I care for this little creature. He’s my buddy.

I got Riel as a Christmas gift. Imagine, me, raised as a Shia Muslim, getting a cat for Christmas. Like, really, could there be a better way to disrupt the tenuous relationship that I have with reality than by giving me a cat?

(“Like, really…?” is a phrase that I’ve adopted from my mother.)

He tosses and turns while he sleeps. I also need to take a lint roller to my sheets.
He tosses and turns while he sleeps. I also need to take a lint roller to my sheets.

Anyway, Riel came into my life when he was only six months old. He was tiny, and purred while he ate. I wish I had pictures of him then, but they are on someone else’s hard drive. And, ever since he was a year old, we’ve slept on the same bed together, save for the few nights that we’ve been apart.

One time, I had a lady-friend over for the night, and I made her shift over so Riel could sleep in his spot. It was nice to have her cuddle in closer to me, too.

You know, I’ve never been in a relationship with anyone other than my family members for as long as I’ve been in a relationship with Riel. He doesn’t really have a choice in the matter. But, I digress.

In the last six months, or so, he’s started snoring while he sleeps. I looked it up, and it’s not something that I need to worry about. (Right?)

This is how he sleeps, most of the time.
This is how he sleeps, most of the time.

Anyway, I’ve been having a really hard time sleeping for longer than about three hours lately, so I’m up while Riel is snoring. I look over at him and wonder how he is able to rest. He just curls up and sleeps. He looks peaceful and content. He doesn’t look worried or contemplative about all that he needs to accomplish in the morning. All he might do to indicate indecision is wake up, arch his back, turning in a circle a few times, and fall asleep again.

For as little as I sleep, though, I can’t seem to get any sleep unless he’s laying there next to me. I’ve found comfort in the rhythm of his breathing, and snoring. I’ve found comfort in the heat that he emanates, and the tickle of his tail on my back (I sleep in just my drawers – super sexy, eh ladies?).

I guess, at the end of it, it’s nice to know that he’s able to sleep peacefully, while next to me.

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