A seething mass of turgid drama.

Miss Bea had her first-ever hairball. It was wee, not much bigger than a grain of rice. She's since had several more and a few other bile-heaves. Of course she's hiding in her carrier-cave and hasn't eaten since yesterday morning (which is a big step for her).

We've brushed her several times and changed the water in her fountain. Hopefully she snaps out of this soon. Not worth a traumatic vet visit yet - I suspect she'd just get an anti-nausea pill.

We're trying not to be overprotective cat parents.

Miss Beatrice has made it abundantly clear that the wife is her preferred monkey and I am Not-the-Mama. So when she deigns to flop next to me on the bed as she did yesterday evening, I am pathetically grateful.

We took Miss Bea to the vet yesterday. It's only been six months since her yearly checkup; this was because I had found a couple nodules under her chin. Also, Bea has been eating a bit more like Cookie Monster so we feared she might have some teeth problems.

Well, the nodules were gone and her teeth were fine. So we got her shots updated and her yearly visit is now in October. (sigh) She's still around 11.5 lbs, which is solid for her size but not overweight.

Miss Beatrice joined me on the bed shortly after the wife did. As is the custom, she pawed at the blanket until I assumed the proper position on my back. Then I could give her pets and rubs and she flopped beside my hip.

She actually stayed there for about four hours! Long enough that I was able to change sleeping positions without hassle. (Bea did cuddle further in to keep contact.)

It wasn't colder last night, so I will take this as a pure win.

Shortly after the wife came to bed, Beatrice jumped up on my side and did her usual "scratch the blanket to tell the monkey to roll over" thing. Usually she settles at my hip where I can only scritch the base of her tail. But this time she wanted more and actively sought out chin scritches. With purring and drooling.

Even better, she stayed all through the night. I'd like to think she's showing that she can love me too, but it may just have been because it was colder and I am a good heater.

Sadly but predictably, the fuzzy upstairs neighbor had no direct interaction with Miss Bea while we were away. The food dish emptied and the litter box filled, but she didn't show up even when he sat in the house for half an hour shaking the treat bag.

She'll take treats from them during HOA meetings when we're present, but without our presence she is just too much of a scaredycat.

Miss Bea jumped onto the bed three separate times this morning, settling on my abdomen and/or nestled against my hip each time. When I wasn't in the right position (on my back with a leg crooked) she pawed at the blanket until I woke up enough to shift.

It wasn't her fault that I slept poorly; but it did allow me to confirm that one of the times she stayed against me for a couple hours.

My alarm didn't go off today. I didn't wake up much beyond when I usually get up, but... with the wife on the other coast things are a bit disjointed. I decided to work from home today rather than rush to get out the door.

Miss Bea was willing to give me a few cuddles in the early morning. (I am hoping that loneliness and desperation make her willing to sit on me during the week.)

Beatrice has gone back to cuddling the wife a bit more during the day, so the wife no longer feels as snubbed. After I go to bed Bea takes over my chair and sits near the wife but doesn't want to directly interact.

She has established a ritual of flopping next to me several times during the night, sometimes for pets and sometimes just for a back rest. Last night, however, she only spent about five minutes next to me - then she jumped over to her actual cat bed that sits on the window bay. She slept there much of the night (I could hear occasional snores and sighs). So I felt a little snubbed. Of course she did her jump-up-and-flop at 5:15, a few minutes before I had to get up so I couldn't really pet her.

Cats, man.

Miss Beatrice jumped up beside me shortly before 2 AM, demanded scritches, and eventually flopped next to my hip for an hour. She left and came back several times until I got up at 5:30. She also protected me by growling when the newspaper hit the front door.

She's been sleeping next to me in the early morning more regularly - unfortunately, not for long stretches. But since she's stopped wanting blanket forts, this is still good cuddle time.