This winter cold is already a cat-astrophe

Without wishing to appear to be obsessed with our recent change in weather temperatures – I’ve had enough of the cold already. As reported last week, a photographer and I spent time on a recent Saturday night with local police on the beat in Toowoomba’s CBD as they performed “wanding” of nightclub patrons to ensure no one was carrying weapons.

That was cold enough. However, this week the mercury dropped to unacceptable levels for May, in my opinion.

Monday night was torture. Despite having a doona with a blanket (on which my 10kg-plus second-hand cat is supposed to sleep), I had a restless night trying to find a warm spot.

Unfortunately, the second-hand cat, which insists on sleeping on me rather than beside me, didn’t kip on my feet, which were freezing and in danger of frostbite by the feel of it.

The cat kept snuggling into me in what I suspect was his way of securing my body heat for his own warmth and so little sleep was possible.

The next night I took precautions and fetched a woolly blanket from the cupboard and remade the bed.

I couldn’t help but notice the second-hand cat was watching this activity from the bedroom door and no sooner had I completed the bed making task than he jumped up on to the bed and sprawled out right in the middle.

Now, not only is this cat rather large but he has very sharp claws and a demeanour that stems from his close relative the lion and there’s just no budging him if he doesn’t want to move.

And, I’ve used enough Band-Aids on the wounds he’s inflicted on me to try to move him when he’s snug on the bed.

So there I lay, warm but uncomfortable trying to cling to the edge of the bed with the second-hand cat sprawled out beside me enjoying a good night’s sleep.

We also have a mate’s dog staying with us at the moment, which is not so bad as he’s a good watch dog.

He’s a labrador-American bulldog cross about the size of a shetland pony with a ferocious bark should any being look like creeping into my yard.

He likes to sleep on the veranda in his woolly bed, which is fine with me because after seeing what he leaves behind him in the yard I’m not keen to have him locked up inside the house.

It might be warmer for him inside but who wants a large dog locked up inside their house when he needs to toilet in the middle of the night?

However, early Wednesday while trying to sleep with the second-hand cat pressed up against my back, the dog started barking.

Fearing some unwanted intruder had crept into the yard, I reluctantly got up, put my woolly slippers on and jogged out to the veranda with the cat behind me as curiosity would never kill this cat.

It was a possum that had drawn the dog’s attention, so happy that no burglars were afoot, I relocked the door and headed back to bed where by that time the second-hand cat had repositioned himself – right in the middle of the bed.

I refused to retreat to the bed’s edge this time and tried to position myself so I could be warm and get some sleep.

And there we lay, the secondhand cat happily asleep in the middle of the bed and me spread out with a leg either side of a mongrel moggy.

It was uncomfortable but at least warm and, believe it or not, we both had a fairly good night’s sleep.

That was until morning when I had to get up and walk to work.

Have I mentioned I don’t like the cold?