let me tell you a story:

Last night I had bad insomnia.

The cat, sensing that I was still awake, got up from where she was, lying next to my head, and purred loudly at me. Normally, this irritates me, but since I was awake anyway, I gave her a bit of a fuss. Then I sat up because I'd suddenly gone too warm. We sat on the bed for a bit, then I checked what the time was. It'd been nearly two hours since I'd tried to sleep initially.

Sigh.

I knew I was uncomfortable and thirsty, so I went to look for a fleece and a drink.

I expected the cat to stay where she was, or to go on the windowsill and see who was out at stupid o'clock in the morning.

She did neither. She followed me downstairs but where I went into the kitchen, she headed towards the living room. Oddly though, she stopped halfway down the hall and sat there, looking at me.

I had a drink, and grabbed a fleece to lie on. I thought the cat would probably have something to eat, and settle down on the sofa for the rest of the night, since it's what she does if disturbed from sleep.

So imagine my surprise when I got back upstairs, and found she'd followed me back up. The entire time, she was purring, and making what I'd like to think are concerned chirps, and headbutting me a lot, as though she was saying, "I know you are not happy, but look: I am here, and this is what I can do to help."

I put the fleece on the bed, and we laid there like a pair of exhausted morons for a bit, before she seemed content that I was now OK, and settled back down next to my head, and I tried to go to sleep again. (It worked this time).

~*~

( notes )