On Beds and Bonding

Now that I've got your attention with the title of today's post, let me explain.

I flew the Catland coop for two days to attend the College Art Association Book Fair in New York City. It was heartening and professionally reassuring to visit so many trade booths promoting art books. Who says that conventional publishing is dead, and that niche publishing cannot survive?

I was struck by the number of books devoted to art collections, and I was intrigued by the personal stories of the collectors whose passions had fueled their desires to acquire. Naturally, I thought often of my "collection" at home, an assemblage of living creatures who defy categorization. I didn't see any books on feline collectibles and trinkets, but I could visualize the look on the faces of my cats when they saw that their Cat Lady had returned home.

I was tired from the trip, and I decided to go to sleep early last night. One by one, our six cats in the house came to me, leaping onto the bed and settling at their favorite resting points. I asked my husband if Lucius, Lydia, Leo, Linus, L.B., and Alvar had slept in our bedroom while I was out of town. He replied, "No, they never sleep in our bed without you." I didn't realize that their bond was so physical, so literal to the point that the bed becomes off-limits when Cat Lady leaves town.

And as I dozed off, I remember thinking that there is perhaps one differential between an art collector and me: I have no need to bemoan the one that got away.

Query of the Day: Do your cats nap elsewhere while you're away?