Before Rick and I moved in together, I learned that he was allergic to cats, a real problem for me because I am a cat lover. Once we became a couple, we learned of the Devon Rex breed, a curly coated cat with little or no dander, a common allergen that causes the allergic reactions. We drove five hours to get Sam, a Devon Rex and in the five hour return trip, Rick had no allergic reaction at all, a great sign that he would be able to tolerate her. She is 10 years old now, Rick has no problems with her and she is a much-loved member of our family.

Since the beginning, she has always slept on the bed with us, snuggling into me all night long. It has made for some less than great sleeps for me because I tend to wake up often as I try not to disturb her. When my menopausal flashes kick in she feels like a little furnace making those joyous moments even worse. Since we refurnished the motorhome in August, when we don’t have overnight guests, she sleeps on the Euro-lounger on a blanket. It has been a real treat for me and I am getting somewhat better sleeps except for a couple of things.

If I get up through the night to go to the bathroom and she hears me, she wakes up meowing incessantly like a lost kitten. She races into the bedroom and jumps on the bed to get the reassurance that I am there. If I don’t get up, she will wake up on her own and if it is dark, she cries out as if she is scared and alone. Once I calm her down she will either snuggle into me or go back to her original bed until morning. She has also gotten into the habit of jumping on the bed to wake me up every morning at around 6:30. If I ignore her, she paws at the mirrored doors making them rattle until I call her name at which time she rubs her face into mine and then happily goes to sleep on my pillow. After 10 years she has trained me well and needless to say, whether our cat sleeps with me or not, I still don’t get an undisturbed sleep. But would I change anything? …not for an instance!