Allegra and Ruby sleep with me every night, which makes bedtime one of my favorite times of the day. Most nights, Allegra joins me first, usually within a few minutes of me going to bed. Ruby tends to be busy at night and often has mysterious Ruby things to tend to before she joins us an hour or two later. But why don’t I let them tell you about bedtime rituals at our house.
Allegra: I love when bedtimes gets near – it’s one of my favorite times of the day, too! I can tell we’re getting close when Mom brings out the toothbrush and toothpaste. She brushes Ruby’s and my teeth, and then we get a treat.
Ruby: Yay, treats! I don’t mind having my teeth brushed, but the treat is the best! It’s really big, and before I eat it, I bat it all over the house! Wee!!!
Allegra: You’re so silly chasing that treat, Ruby.
Ruby: Ha! Like you’re not silly with that treat! As soon as you see me look at you, you pick it up and run into the bedroom with it so I can’t steal it from you!
Allegra: You’re one to talk about stealing treats. How many times have I snatched that treat from you because you were too busy playing with it instead of eating it?
Ruby: blows a raspberry at Allegra
Allegra: Anyway, after that’s all done, Mom goes into the bathroom to do what she calls “getting ready for bed.” It seems to involve a lot of water, and creams and lotions. Sometimes, Ruby and I watch her. We sit on opposite ends of the bathroom vanity and just stare at her strange ministrations. That always makes her laugh.
Ruby: I like to watch the water go down the drain. Look Allegra! See how it swirls? Wee!
Allegra: As soon as Mom goes to bed and turns off the light, I join her. I wait for Mom to turn on her side, and then I wedge myself as close to her back as I can. I like feeling Mom close to me, and I think she likes it, too. I can feel her whole body smile when I do it.
Ruby: I don’t know why Mom and Allegra go to bed so early. There’s still so much to do! I have to make sure the house is secure. Then I have to make sure all our toys are accounted for. They’re lucky that I stay awake to do these things!
Allegra: By the time Ruby comes to bed, Mom and I are usually fast asleep. Thankfully, she’s learned to come to bed quietly and not wake us up.
Ruby: When I go to bed, I pick a spot on Mom’s other side. We make a kitty sandwich out of Mom! Teehee! Then I go right to sleep. Patrolling the house and counting toys is tiring work!
Allegra: I wish humans would sleep without tossing and turning so much. It used to really aggravate me when Mom would do that, and I’d stalk off in a huff for a little while. Now I’m so used to it, I just sigh when her movement wakes me up, and then I go right back to sleep.
Ruby: Most of the time, I don’t even notice Mom turning over. I sleep much deeper than you, Allegra.
Allegra: That’s ’cause you’re still a baby.
Ruby: Am not!
Allegra: I’m not much of a lap cat during the day, but I love being so close to Mom at night. Sometimes, I even sleep in her arms – something I wasn’t comfortable doing when she first became my Mom. Mom has told us about Amber, who used to sleep in her arms every night, and I know she misses that. Her energy always feels extra happy to me when I sleep in her arms, and I love that.
Ruby: I love our bedtime rituals!
Do you and your cats have bedtime rituals? Share them in a comment!
my 11month old little girl ceefer always lets me know when its nearly time for bed and we get her little mouse toy out and have a play for about 30mins. then its supper time and we give her the last of her wet food for the night and put her biscuits down in her room. we put her bed out on her favourite spot (her dads chair) and then give her cuddles and put her to bed. she always snuggles down in her bed n then watches us close her door.
she is our alarm clock and wakes us up every morning by meowing and scratching her door lol
some people think im strange as i treat her like a human baby with her routines and her own room but the people closest to me realise shes my furr baby and always will be.
i love your kitties and follow them on fb. i show pics of them to my hubby n he thinks that ruby looks like ceefer lol
your advice is fantastic
thank you
michelle, gerard and baby ceefer
xxxxxxx
I’m so glad you enjoy my site and Facebook page, Michelle. Ceefer sounds like such a cutie pie!
muffin: well some nights we get a bath with very special coconut soap. and then we get a big goat and fishy flavored treat!
tea:and then we get our teeth brushed. when mom starts to get ready she uses something called acne cleanser which is purple. I always wanted to stick my paw in it but mommy said no.
muffin: then we get a good groom and curl up by mom. I sleep by her tummy because it is so warm!
tea: I love moms back because she says it tickles!
muffin: in the morning mom gives us breakfast and brushes our teeth.
tea: I love mom! she is so fun! wee!!
Thanks for sharing your bedtime rituals, Muffin and Tea! (I love your names!)
muffin: thanks!!!
tea: I have a question. how big are those treats that they get for getting their teeth brushed?
They’re about an inch long, and 1/4 of an inch wide.
wow!!!!!
Her Soppreem Largeniss, Big Bad Baby Twinkle, waves a treat-loaded paw and sez airily:
“Since I tend to take up the Prime RealEstate area of da Beddie (da middull), I get into a Big Fat Snit wenn Meowmie moves me to a lesser part of da blankies and gets into bed. I yewsually jump off da Bed (KaBOOOM!) and stomp over to da door– but she has CLOSED Da Door! So I pretend to do stuff and pittypat abowt da bedrume and then eventually I will go back onto da bed and sleep on Meowmie’s Laigs, or on top of Meowmie’s stummick (Dat’ll teech yoo Meowmie!) or (heh heh) da TOP pillow, where I can WHACK Meowmie in da hedd wif My size-able Buttiuss – not just once, either.
Or.. If I yam in a Jeneruss mood, I wil lik lik lik da short short hair on Meowmie’s hedd and Purr Purr Purr.. Just don’t tell my Kat-Frenns abowt dis……. OK?
LOL!
awww thats sooo cute xxx
My whole body smiles whenever one of my critters cuddles up to me too!
Teaka was allowed to crawl under the blankets with me by virtue of her age, and she always curled up either in my arms or by my stomach…I miss her so much…
Bones likes to sleep on me – always needs to be on the highest part of my anatomy, either my hip or my shoulder (I sleep on my side). Bijou is learning. She’s now sleeping by my legs, sometimes by my head. She’s starting to consider crawling under the blankets…and I’ll probably let her if she ever decides that’s where she wants to be…and I won’t make her wait until she’s geriatric either.
I usually have a sheltie stretched up against my back too – she wants full body contact from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail.
Sounds like a wonderful bedtime routine at your house, Denise.
Sleeping with (usually) at least six cats–well, let’s just say it’s pandemonium every evening…the only SURE thing is that everybody gets pets and rubbins and purrs like mad. It sounds like a hive of bees when I turn off the light.
Oh how I love reading the banter between Ruby and Allegra on your blog! They are definitely characters! Your bedtime routine sounds like so much fun!
My Angel Bobo used to sleep with me EVERY night and when I took naps. Cody has a much different routine.
Cody will come in when I lay down…he crawls up my chest (he has done this since he was a kitten but now he is much larger and quite heavy lol)…he just can’t get close enough. He has to put his face literally IN MY FACE. Then I talk to him and pet him for about 20 minutes. Like Ruby, he has “important” work to do around the condo and he leaves to go and do whatever it is that he does. He NEVER spends the entire night (just like a guy lol)
On the nights that I don’t want him “in my face” due to my exhaustion, I turn on my side. I scales my mountainous girth and sits on my arm/shoulder. The visual is kinda like if he were to be sitting on a mountaintop surveying his domain.
Sounds like Cody is his own man, Caren. Still laughing at your “just like a guy” comment!
At bedtime Montana follows my husband and I to our respective bathrooms while we do our teeth brushing, face washing, etc. he then goes to patrol the house to make sure everything is just as it should be. He comes to bed about a half hour later and sleeps with us all night. He sleeps on the back of my legs or my husbands back. He just tucks in where he’s most comfortable. He’s had this routine since he first came to us at nine weeks old and still loves to snuggle with us. I can’t imagine not having our bedtime ritual we share.
Joanne
What a lovely bedtime ritual, Joanne. The snuggling is the best part.
Maxwell: I like to be very even-pawed about the whole thing For a few weeks I’ll hang out at the foot of the bed on papa’s side. Then I’ll switch positions and will curl up behind mama’s knees for a while.
Allie: I take my responsibilities very seriously. First I have to make sure Mother falls asleep (I lay on her foot until she does). Then when Dad comes to bed, I curl up under his arm and help him read his book. *giggle* Then I have to wake him at 6 so he can feed me!
Faraday: I’m an under-the-covers, next to Mommy kind of kitty. And lately I’ve determined that 4 AM is purr-and-nip time. Man can mommy jump when I nip her ankle!
You guys cover the spectrum: the diplomat, the Daddy’s girl, and the Momma’s boy!
LOL I have five girls so most nights I have my very own kitty blanket!
Surrey is a Maine Coone mix & very energetic & playful. When she first came to live with me she used to wake me up during the night bringing me toys because she wanted to play. So to stop this, I added an additional play/workout session before bed time! Now all the girls run to the closet where the wand toys live as soon as I set the alarm cuz they know that means play time! So we play for about 20 minutes to make sure everyone is good and tired! Me included! Then while I am getting ready for bed, the girls stake out their spots on the bed. Then we have treats them the girls get drinks, last minute litter box trips…? or whatever until I get into bed. Souixsie is first to come back to bed & she sleeps between my legs (sometimes she sleeps a little bit higher – right on my bladder – LOL). Saki comes next & just snuggles in on her side of the bed right up against my left side. Sammi comes next and drapes herself across my neck to make sure I don’t catch cold (she is a tiny 5lb kitty so this is ok). Surrey is the patrol kitty. She waits in my closet doorway for everyone else to come to bed & then patrols the house. Then she comes & claims her spot on my chest. Sassy is the newest addition to my house – she is a 7 year old rescue & unbelievably her name was already Sassy before I adopted her (as you can see I am a little silly with the kitty names!). She does not quite make it to the bed, yet. She sleeps on the headboard above my head (bookshelf headboard)because she wants to be close to me so as soon as the girls become better friends, I have no doubt she will find a spot in the bed with us as well! 🙂
Always a good idea to get the kitties tired out before bedtime, Melissa. I love your bedtime routine!
Thanks! It was created out of necessity! I needed to sleep & the cats wanted to live! LOL
Chester: In my house I am king. I have to remind my mom everything; when to wake up, when to go to sleep, when to give me treats… and so on. My big brother just sits and licks himself most of the time.
T-Lo: I am the oldest. That little bit of noise Mother calls ‘her baby’ doesn’t even know how to be a normal cat. He won’t let me lick him, sniff him, or even snuggle him at sleep time. Not sure he had much of a cat mother before he came to live with our Mother.
Chester: At night time I have to scold our Mom and tell her it is time to put her big black glowing thing away so she can sleep with me. I have to get right into her face and walk on the black and white thing on her lap and head butt her to get her to say, “OK, time for sleep.”
When she finally puts it away so it is not on her lap or glowing anymore she turns the light off and snuggles down into the covers on the bed, just in time for me to go to the food dish for a snack and a drink of water.
T-Lo: When I see the light go out in Mothers room I know its time to check out the food dish and make my rounds about the house to make sure it is safe for the family.
Chester: Then I snuggle down in the comfort of Moms arms and make sure it is just purrfect by pushing a bit here and a bit there with my front paws. Then I sandwich in for a short nap until she is asleep. Then the fun begins. T-Lo and I roam the house and play all night long while the dogs and people (and Mom) sleep.
Chester and T-Lo, you two sure have elaborate bedtime rituals. Good going!
My beloved Kitton, who was also a Tortie, would always take naps with me and lay flat on my chest while I reclined in a big wicker chair. At night she would make her rounds with her ‘baby’. It was a white furry mouse that she chose herself at the pet store when she was very small. Late at night after I had gone to bed I would awake to her cries that sounded like Helllooo, helllooow, and that is when she was carrying her baby to the bedroom. Then she would jump up and lay on my head and hug me and invariably always drool in my ear! I don’t know what that drool was about. The next morning without fanfare she would carry her baby back out to the living room without anyone seeing her.
She has been gone since 2009 and I swear I still feel the bed go down and something fiddling with my hair in the night.
I’m sorry about your Kitton, Kim. Allegra does something like what you described with one of her toys. I wrote about it in “Allegra’s Baby,” and several readers commented with their cat’s version of this: https://ingridking.com/2012/03/07/allegras-baby/
My Mom doesn’t understand me yet! Dad is hopeless! When I first came to m&d it was hard I
was very feral as they call it and I didn’t know how to be good. But Mom put her paw down! Dad is still a push over! Mom is a no nonsense bed timer. I love to try and keep them up but mom will bite (Scruff, for a second) my neck and say “NO, KITTY!” I hate this it doesn’t hurt anything but my feelings so I go and patrol the house once more. then I come back and sleep closest to mom
She is my favorite!
I’m glad that you’re comfortable sleeping next to your Mom, Mitzie, even if she doesn’t stay up as long as you’d like.
WEll it depends on the weather on who sleeps with me. In the cold weather, I probably have six cats squishing all up against me. Now that the weather is warmer, we would rather be cool at night. Gertrude usually will sleep with me at at times Little Bit. I am surprised that the two kittens don’t come to sleep with me. Guess the older cats told them they couldn’t do that. Maggie wakes me up every single morning without fail at 5:30 AM by walking all over my body. If I shove her off the bed, she comes right back. She is one of the nicest cats I have ever had especially since she used to be feral. Ruby, we sure are glad you are doing all the watching at night. Take care.
Having six cats squishing up against me is my idea of heaven!
You only have two more to go to get there, Layla ;-)…
Nothing better than feline heaters to keep you warm on a cold night, Marg.
Coco: I come in the bathroom with mom while she does all her bedtime stuff. I attack the bath towel and she runs a feather toy behind it. Then we get a bedtime snack, and then a play time for a few minutes. I always used to play before bedtime when Raleigh lived with us. For awhile after Calypso came I stopped, but now I come out and play too. When mom goes to bed to read I join her right away. Where I sleep changes when it gets hot outside. In winter I curl up by her legs. Now I usually sleep by her tummy.
Calypso: I love when mommy plays with us after snack time. Sometimes she’s too tired to play much. When she goes in to read Coco goes with her, and I usually play with my toys for awhile. When mommy shuts off the light I come and curl up against her back to sleep, unless it’s hot and then I might sleep on the bedroom window perch.
These sound like very good bedtime rituals, Coco and Calypso. Your mom is lucky to have you!
Rune is my personal alarm clock. He tells me when it is time to go to bed and he’ll keep telling me (vocally) until I follow or shoo him if I’m not ready yet. When I do go to bed (even for naps) Rune *must* stand on my and knead my right shoulder area. Not the left, only the right. When he thinks I’m done, or whatever goes through his mind when he’s kneading me, he’ll jump off the bed.
Fozzy is my big lug bed snuggler. He’s over 20lbs and far too heavy to stand on me like I allow Rune to. This makes him very jealous because I do not invite him onto the bed. More often than not, I shoo him off the bed if he jumps up. So he has become sly.. the little sneak waits til I’m asleep and jumps onto the end of the bed, snuggling in against me – usually around my knee area.
I love when Rune tucks me in. But waking up to a big slobbery nose (Fozzy) nudging me in the side isn’t so fun lol. No matter how many times I give him hell for doing it, Fozzy inevitably ignores me. Silly big lug that he is. He is more DOG than cat lol!
Thier mom, Maggie, used to sleep on my belly. I miss her 🙂 She and Pixie would tell me they want cuddles or my attention by reaching their paw up to tap me on the elbow. Hello! love me?!
I cannot imagine living without a cat. Everyone should have at least one!
I can’t imagine living – or sleeping – without a cat, either, Shannon! Love your bedtime rituals.
We sleep with our mom when it is cold usually.
Manny: I come first while Spunky does the secure check and toy check and go down by her legs.
Spunky: Once they have time to settle in, then I come on the pillow and crawl under the covers near the edge of the bed right next to mom where she can pet me if she likes.
Manny: Sometimes we will sandwich her between us, depending which side of her legs I choose to lay on.
Excellent, Manny and Spunky! Human kitty sandwiches are the best.