On This Date in 1998

I was a little concerned about Boxer yesterday. When the boys and I left the house, he was at the foot of Eddie’s bed, lying on a folded-up blanket. When I returned home for lunch, I found it odd that he didn’t pad into the kitchen and meow for attention while I fixed myself something to eat, which is his usual habit. When he really wants me to get the message, he’ll roll onto his back and expose his underside, where he likes to be stroked. I walked through the house looking to find him and, oddly enough, he was still on Eddie’s bed. He wasn’t sleeping, but he hardly moved when I entered the room. I thought he might be sick, but I didn’t see any indication of that. Do cats run a fever? I don’t know. It might be a good idea if I learn to recognize the symptoms of sickness in a cat. By the late afternoon, Boxer had moved to another part of the house. He hasn’t slept with JoAnna and me lately. He will sometimes sleep on one of the boy’s beds, but he seems more independent now. He doesn’t try to rouse me out of a slepe at 5 in the morning too much anymore. We haven’t had to take him out of the room and close the door for a couple weeks. Saturday morning, when I was just starting to wake up, he jumped on the bed and approached my head, breathing what felt like a snort of air into my ear and then licking it. I just repositioned myself.