There are two things that must be in reach when I wake up: a water bottle and a timepiece. My cat thwarts both.

I wake thirsty in a way that brooks no metaphors, and reach left. But I have to reach with my right arm, because the cat is lying on my left. I can't quite reach; I'd have to roll over.

Of course, I can't; if I rolled I'd be laying my cat, and despite all logic I like her enough that I don't want to kill her. This despite the fact that she likes to wake me at night by walking onto my chest, lying down to purr and press her front paws endearingly against my windpipe. (I assume she thinks this is endearing.)

So I'm tired when I wake to a cat on my arm, and because I always neglect to set an alarm- I assume I'll wake up naturally, one way or another- I need to know the time. Because I'm not sure if I'm allowed to go back to sleep and thus avoid the water bottle/cat situation.

As I write this, my cat is snuggled against my chest; she spoons. It's the pleasant part of her routine, which is another reason not to let her know I'm awake if I'm not yet ready to get up.

Her routine: if I stir, she gets up from wherever she's sleeping-usually the foot of the bed, though right now she's going through a phase where she likes my pillow. Anyhow, she stands, walks up to my face area, and starts cuddling aggressively.

This is sort of nice; soft cat cuddling is a lovely way to wake up, assuming you meant to be awake. She rubs the top of her head over my cheeks, purring in good faith as the little hairs she sheds continuously settle around my nose.

I draw her out by offering my hand, somewhere away from the medial line of my body. Every time, she goes for the hand, five fingers much better at scratching her cheeks than my mediocre chin can provide.

I pet her a bit, and then if I'm lucky, she'll settle down on my left arm, purring, nestling close so she's all encircled but for those front paws, which rest on my shoulder, massaging with claws. I have a thousand tiny scars from a thousand tiny wounds of affection on my left shoulder, but sometimes I can fall asleep as this goes on.

This, of course, yields the left arm predicament we started with: I'm thirsty, and it's light out, but I can't see the clock. Do I check the time, and risk restarting the cycle if I'm too early, and should sleep?