Saturday, July 12, 2008

The Art of Sleep


Cats tend to be regarded as lazy, given how much they sleep, and I can't argue with that, although I must point out that there are some cats who truly raise the bar when they lower their eyelids.

Legs is one of those cats, who, as a former stray-turned-housecat, probably spent untold nights with one eye open, never really resting. Think about it, how many relaxed-looking stray cats have you ever seen? (Besides Brian Setzer.) It's got to be a very stressful position, and one he set about to reverse by almost immediately becoming a connoisseur of the coma.

This is a cat who sleeps so deeply that he almost melds his body into the surface of whatever he's lying on. While not overly fat, he's a heavy, solid, thick-bodied cat who practically leaves indentations in the ceramic tile as he walks by. When he comes down the bare wood of the staircase it sounds like an eleven-year-old boy is in the house. And this cat doesn't fall asleep: His body simply stops.


I have no idea what the story is with the position he's affecting above. I was just passing by on my way out of the bedroom. He looks like a gun, or a ewer, or a double amputee, and I figured there was no way he'd hold that position while I went to the basement for a camera. But, Legs must've had a rough night, since he hadn't moved a muscle when I got back.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

He looks like a little person with his paws under his head. I often think his positions strike me as more human than cat-like. Sometimes, he frightens me, because I think he's imitating me.

Sharon Kugler said...

Pandering to the masses, are we?
Very well.
(Ahem!) "Awww, wook atta cute widdle kitty!!"