Sometimes, I spend the night at my best friend’s house. Usually it’s because we have work plans or social activities that will end late, but sometimes it’s just so we can hang out without worrying about how I’m going to get home. We kind of live on opposite ends of Metro Manila.

My best friend lives with his girlfriend, my brother, and four cats. Sushi is a big fat male tabby descended from my Botchok and our late Bunny.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBCa-kqMZFE/

William is an orange male whom they adopted from our friend Eduardo.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAyO2IcsZBQ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/777OMxsZE3/

The latest addition to their little family was a surprise: two kittens they found crying on the street in front of the house, just last April. Both male, they’re named Dimsum and Dumpling.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFFv5vrMZNn/

When I sleep over, I stay on the couch. It’s pretty comfortable, until the kittens decide to start playing.

They run all over me, up to the couch, down to the floor, back again, their needle-sharp claws leaving crimson trails on my brown skin. I hide under the blanket, to no avail! Like thorns, their claws push through and find my flesh.

One night, things were different!

Dante and Caroline wanted to watch TV in the living room. I was sitting on the sofa, beside Dumpling, who just sat, purring. I scratched and petted, and he seemed quite content to sit quietly–until he saw his brother and he decided to give chase.

I took that as my cue to leave.

I moved to the bedroom, and stretched out on the bed. To my surprise, Dumpling followed me! I messaged Oneal:

I fell asleep with Dumpling on my chest, purring, then sleeping, then purring. Then he’d move, lie down on my stomach again, and purr.

When I hugged a pillow, he wedged himself between me and the pillow.

When I lay on my side, he stretched out on my side!

At some point I woke up to see Caroline asleep on the bed, on the other side of the pillow I was hugging. The kitten was gone. I figured they were done watching TV, so I moved to the living room.

And Dumpling followed me.

I lay down on the couch, and there he was again! Lying on my legs, or my stomach, or the pillow above my head. He was trying to eat my hair, and he was purring constantly!

For once I didn’t wake up in the morning with claws in my legs, though the kittens did run and play all over me a few times. In the morning, when I woke up, Dumpling was on my chest again, purring.

It’s got to be one of the best feelings in the world, having a kitten asleep on top of you, or purring, content to simply use you as a pillow.