Pillow Talk

If Linus could talk, he would tell us that the highlight of his day occurs when he leaves his favorite carpet in the living room, at 7:00 p.m. precisely, to head upstairs. Pillow talk awaits.

I, too, am a creature of habit, and Linus has learned that he can always find his Cat Lady sitting cross-legged on the bed in the master bedroom, catching up on the daily newspapers and watching the nightly news (and trying to do so simultaneously). Linus eyes the pillow next to mine. He knows that the bigger pillow is reserved for my husband to sleep on, but little Linus manages to steal it first for himself, every time.

Unlike Lucius, who responds to about twenty words, Linus does not have an extensive vocabulary. Linus understands certain fundamentally feline words, of course, such as “feed” and “treat,” but no one would ever mistake him for being a wordsmith. In fact, he acts like a windup cat whenever I say “pillow” ( a slight variation on a parrot's "Polly Wants a Cracker") because he takes his position immediately on cue, tucking himself in for some shut-eye.

I’ve noticed recently that Linus has started snoring while sleeping, and I need to teach him the librarians’ famous last word: “Shhh.”

Query of the Day: Do you talk to your cats while they sleep?