Show and Tell - of the feline variety

We have three cats in the House of Therapy. Ambien, Rhone and Stel. They were our first babies, and in their minds they never gave up that position. And that's ok with me.

This is Ambien. She's having a little chat with Noah's Lamby in our bathroom. Rich actually came downstairs to tell me about it the other night, so I sent him back up with the camera.

Ambien is my princess cat. She's all white and soft and fluffy. She sleeps with me at night, right up by my shoulder. Curled up against me. She used to get up with me if I woke up to pee in the middle of the night; padding in to the bathroom with me then following me back to bed. Then when I was pregnant I was up four and fives times a night, and she eventually gave me the feline finger and stayed in bed asleep.

When Kiel came along and spent those first two months in bed with us she staked her claim early on, making sure that spot was HERS. I made sure she kept that spot. Many nights were spent with Ambien asleep on my left side, Kiel on my right.


Ambien came in to my life when she was a wee little six-week old kitten in June of 1995. Just a tiny little ball of fluff with the squeakiest purr. The happier she was the squeakier the purr. Oh my but she was adorable. She would greet me at the door when I came home from work. She never missed a day in those first few months together.

At the time she came to live with me I had just started dating the guy who owned the house across the street from me. Did I ever tell you about him? Remind me to do that someday.


I used to take Ambien over to visit with me and she loved it. I'm not sure what it was about his house but she just went crazy running and playing in it. She rarely stopped to rest. She was like a little kid that had to be taken home from a play date, so tired she couldn't fall asleep on her own. I would have to take her home just to get her to take a break.

He had an indoor/outdoor cat, Huxley, who was an old tom cat. All scruffy from fighting the other neighborhood cats. Ambien loved him! They were all big brother/little sister with each other. She adored him, he wanted nothing to do with her tolerated her. And then Huxley started to pee inappropriately and I had to stop bringing her over.

I'm guessing some of you are wondering how she got the name Ambien, since it's the name of a sleeping pill. Well, if you didn't know, I'm a pharmacist. When I got Ambien, like many babies, she had her nights and days mixed up. Those first few nights were tough, she wanted to be in my face, but didn't sleep much. I can't tell you how many times she woke me up by pouncing on my face or patting at my eyelids. And, since Ambien the drug had recently come to market, and I had a bit of a thing for the drug rep that was detailing it to my pharmacy, Ambien just seemed like the perfect name for her.


She's my little girl and I can't imagine not having her around. Holding her and rubbing my face in her fur is very calming. Watching her play with one of her toys, or hearing her chirp because she caught a "mouse" makes me smile. And seeing her control her two bigger, but younger, brothers makes me laugh. You would think they were beating her up, but I know that half the time she instigates their little tussles.