Let me tell you about Ms. Kali, the secret sleeper.

When Kali arrived at our house in late September, we were surprised that she didn’t quickly discover the joys of climbing into bed and sleeping with us.

All of our previous cats, kittens and adults, quickly saw the advantages of the nesting in the warm caves created by people, sheets, and blankets. In cold weather, multiple cats would take up positions, leaving only limited places for Meda and I to crawl into bed.

But Kali. She was a hard case. She resisted our suggestions that she settle in, and failed to follow Romeo’s lead.

That went on for three months or so.

Then something happened. I woke up one night and, in the darkness, could make out Kali’s shape at the foot of the bed, asleep at our feet. She hadn’t been there when I went to bed. And she disappeared before morning. But it became a regular occurrence, the arrival of the secret sleeper.

Finally, in the past couple of weeks, her behavior has changed again. Suddenly she has decided that the best place to be is sleeping on my chest, or my stomach, or if I’m on my side, balanced on my leg, or as a last resort, in my legs. And it’s no longer a secret position adopted under cover of darkness. Now, whenever I get near the bed, Kali comes running. She is not a delicate, silent runner. She clomps around the house, heavy footfalls announcing her imminent arrival, then leaps onto the bed, where she stomps up onto my chest, drops down, and starts purring and very actively rubbing her face on my beard. It’s pretty endearing, at first. But woe is me if I get tired of sleeping on my back. Kali does not cooperate with being moved. So we go through the night in a delicate, low-key nocturnal do-si-do as I try maintain my comfort and my status as a cat sleeping platform.

I have seen her look over, discover Meda sleeping next to me, and stealthily move onto her before resuming her nap.

Kali started as a secret sleeper, but has evolved into the “in your face” sleeper. Literally.