Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Battling MS Enemy #1

In my expert opinion (and those of us with MS are the TRUE experts, don't you think?), lack of sleep is Mortal Enemy #1 to MS.


When I don't get enough sleep or my sleep is interrupted and therefore unsatisfying, I am a BEAR to the awakening offenders--animal, human, or electronic.I also don't feel as good ALL DAY LONG when I don't get adequate sleep and I have been known to take it out on everyone and everything that crosses my path.

This morning, the culprit who started it all was my cat Bella followed by my lovely daughter Ruby. Since Ruby came from my body and lives in my heart, I've decided it's in all our best interests to blame Bella.

When we rescued Bella via the Milton Animal League Shelter, we were warned that she would not do well in a house with other pets. They did not tell us, though, that "other animals" includ her own reflection or animals on television.

They also did not mention the fact that Bella is offended by closed doors and scratches at them incessantly until they are opened.  Nor did they remember to tell me about her obsessive attraction to toilet paper rolls and her propensity to shred them down to the roll while we sleep. I guess the fact that she views any jewelry lying about as her personal cat toys slipped their minds, as well.

I keep a spray water bottle on my night table in anticipation of these nocturnal antics. Unfortunately, it's all become a game for Bella. If you spray her for batting about my jewelry, she just moves on to the toilet paper roll in my adjoining bathroom.  If I kick her out of the room and shut the door, she starts scratching until she is let in.. If I let her in and she jumps up on my dresser, she sometimes sees her own reflection and all hell breaks loose, with wailing and hissing at the mysterious white cat in the mirror.

I've had it. I love Bella but I need my sleep. Before I resort to locking her in the finished basement at night, and potentially waking up the entire neighborhood with her lonely cries, Ruby has volunteered her room as the banishment spot. So, I'm off to do my situps and then put  Bella's litterbox in Ruby's very large room and shut Bella in there for the night. 

I'm adding another thing to my "They shouldn't give MS to..." list. They shouldn't give MS to people with crazy cats that don't let them sleep.

1 comment:

  1. I gave up on sleep. We capture a wild cat in our backyard last night, 2 more to go.

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