Night #1 - I felt like I didn't sleep at all. I tossed. I turned. I kept waking up. I felt unsettled. I missed the presence of our Senior Cat of the house (Ray). He didn't find his spot to sleep in my room at all that night. In fact, when I woke up one time I searched the house to find our missing cats. By morning,our Second Cat in Command (Jet) was resting comfortably at the foot of my bed.
Night #2 - I slept better than the first night. Jet resumed his previous morning's resting spot quite early in the evening. Ray hopped up near my head and tapped me for a few middle-of-the-night head scratches. But for the most part, he was missing in action.
Night #3 - Ray was still pretty skittish about this new sleeping arrangement. He had grown quite accustomed to his spot in the far off corner of our king sized bed in our downstairs bedroom. This queen sized bed is quite an adjustment. Where is someone to sleep if they don't like to be touched, disturbed and can comfortably keep their eye on things from afar?
Morning #4 - I awoke to find Ray resting uncomfortably in a trial sleeping spot on the opposite corner of where Jet was snoozing.
I found myself sleeping diagonally across the bed to create a comfortable boundary for the two cats slumbering at my side.
A combination of the diagonal sleeping position plus a layering of pillows and not having the TV on throughout the night seems to be working for me.
Sleeping crosswise on the bed creates a safe space for all three of us. I am quite comfortable to find myself smack dab in the middle of our un-snugly cats. I have room to move without disturbing either one of them.
I stumbled across a magical combination of a memory foam pillow plus a down pillow which seems to be cradling my neck while supporting my head. I haven't woken up with a sore neck for two mornings now. This is heavenly.
The TV/DVD combo, minus a Netflix connection didn't work for me. Instead, I have been utilizing the Netflix channel on my phone which turns itself off completely when a show ends. No white light. No subliminal "hum" of an operational appliance left on. Silence plus the natural light of the rising sun, with a cat on each side of me is starting to feel good.
This adjustment has not been without its trials. But we are figuring things out.
Jet - is who I want to be. He assesses the situation, finds a new normal, is comfortable with that change and adapts quickly.
Ray - is me to the extreme. He likes security, routine and does not like his comfort zone not being violated. He assesses the situation and walks away. When he realizes this may be the new normal he checks things out and still walks away. When he is feeling a little antsy about the fact that he misses his old reality, he gently taps me on the head in the middle of the night for reassurance (or was that the night the cat food ran low - I can't remember for sure). When all else fails, he tries to adjust. It isn't easy. It isn't comfortable. He prefers the old way. But he tries.
Me - I reason myself through this adjustment and convince myself "change is good". I have an internal dialogue which is continually going back on forth on the pros and cons of the move. The biggest part of me is following the calling of the sun. I believe my moods are highly influenced by the moon. The whimsical part of me just follows the stars ...
I think I should follow Jet's lead. He doesn't think. He simply does what feels good. Ray does a little bit of that too. The reason I know this to be true is because within minutes of me opening the bedroom door and availing the space to our cats, this is what I found:
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| Jet - under the covers Ray - as close as he ever gets to snuggling (atop the covers and right beside Jet) |
It's a good move. Who ever said good is always easy. It is simply an adjustment to our norm. Ray and I have a bit more trouble with realigning ourselves with our new reality.
Adjustment periods are hard.
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