Watching Hollister interact with the two of us, I am saddened to think that because of her early introduction to a human who did not understand the ways of a cat, she may not be able to move on and become someone’s beloved kitty for the rest of her life. When she sleeps with me, she will start by first sniffing my hair (as if she likes the smell of the shampoo). Her purr will then intensify and her sniffing becomes almost frantic- then she attacks my scalp. She digs in with teeth and claw and when she is removed, she comes right back. I hide my head under a pillow and she burrows her head deep underneath still seeking my hair and my head.

Last night I slept with a knitted cap on my head, hoping that might help and it didn’t. The only thing that prevents her from attacking at night is preventing her from sleeping in our room. Then she sits at the door and wails all night keeping me up. Mike’s oblivious to the noise as he takes his hearing aids out before he sleeps- but she is loud. I finally resorted to an old trick I discovered that stops cats from wanting to get into the bedroom at night. I parked the vacuum just inside the bedroom door. It was plugged in but not on. When she started screaming that she wanted inside, I turned the machine on just for a second and she scrambled away. Eventually, I was able to just park the vacuum outside the door not running and all was peaceful and quiet for the night. As time goes on and she feels she can trust humans again, the vacuum can be put back in the closet. But for right now- it stands vigil in the evening hours. It’s a good trick to stick in your back pocket if you have a cat that keeps you awake at night. Much better than spraying a cat with water- or screaming at the cat, stomping your feet or other methods some use to stop unwanted behavior in the nighttime.