Joy wrote:

I eat my lunch sitting in my recliner, with my feet up. I usually stay
there for a while afterward, reading and/or working crossword puzzles. Once
in a while I fall asleep. I may sleep for 10 or 15 minutes, but
occasionally it can be 3 or 4 hours. Often one of the cats will jump into
my lap after I've finished eating.

Today it was Pickles who jumped in my lap and settled down. I read for a
while, then fell asleep. After sleeping for about an hour, I woke up to
Pickles nudging at my hand so I'd pet her. I was still very sleepy, so I'd
pet her for a few minutes, then stop, hoping to get back to sleep. Just as
I started to doze off, she'd nudge again. This happened several times.
Finally I realized she had decided I'd had enough sleep, so I gave up.

They know when you're falling asleep, and that is the exact moment when
they nudge you again. This happens a lot in the morning, when I'm trying to
wake up, but tending to doze off. Roxy sometimes stands over me and stares
at me, I guess in the hope that just being stared at will somehow motivate
me to get up. You know how you can tell someone's looking at you, even if
you're not looking at them? I don't have that sense at all - I'm impervious
to people's stares behind my back. That includes cats. Roxy is very attuned
to my breathing and can tell immediately when I'm falling back to sleep.
Every time I start to doze off, I get a paw on my hand (with claws), or a
loud meow.

Joyce

--
It is better to give than to lend, and it costs about the same.
-- Unknown