The Power of the Purr

My Maine Coon cat predates my husband. Our Tourtie predates our kids. Yet somehow, when the kids started arriving, the cats took a back seat. Well, of course they did. Two mature, indoor cats in good health with each other for company are naturally going to come after a newborn human in terms of needs. And being the animal lovers we are, the step down in terms of care was from 5-star to 4-star accommodations. They still get Christmas stockings full of toys and catnip. They're allowed anywhere they like, and are given 2 different kinds of food and fresh water daily. They sleep on us at night.

That's actually where most of the chance occurred - the sleeping on us part. Once babies arrived, my lap was full. So were my arms, so was my bed. The only thing that was empty was my reserve of patience. When I did sit down without a kid attached to me, I wanted to enjoy the space. Just S.P.A.C.E. No cats allowed right now, thank you very much. So the cats got the majority of their loving at the foot of the bed each night. It's been like that for so long now that I'd forgotten there had been another way.

Our Tourtie had two litters before we rescued her at a year old and had her spayed. She has a large, soft Buddha-belly like many of us moms, only hers is covered with fur as soft as a bunny's. She also has one of the loudest purrs I've ever heard, and I've known a lot of cats. She has a deep, enduring purr that you can hear from the next room, or that will vibrate right through whatever surface on which she's sleeping. A few weeks ago, she started sleeping on top of me, like she used to do years ago. Whether it's my back or my tummy makes no difference to her, she's just happy to play King-of-the-Human. I can tell she likes it, because that motor is always going whenever she's on top of me like that. At first I "allowed" her to climb up, just to be nice. it didn't take me long to remember how wonderful that warm, soft purring machine feels on my back or stomach. Sore back? Just let her knead for a few minutes, then curl up and purr. Tummy troubles? Monthly issues? Either way, just let her purr them away. She even purred away my insomnia.

Now she's got me trained again. Now I look for her, bring her to bed, and hope she'll stay. Now I pay more attention to her during the day, and share my lap more often. Now I try to start that purr motor as often as I can. It's hard to tell what a cat is thinking, but as long as she keeps putting up with me, I'm pretty sure she likes these renewed arrangements too.