Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Classic Napping Positions

There are four basic positions in modern-day classical napping, known as the First through Fourth Positions. In 1430 B.C.E., napping master Meriptah credited the codification of these four positions to Bast Herself. 

In the First Position, the right foreleg is curled carefully 
under the head and around the tender belly, thus 
providing a comfortable pillow for the noggin and ample 
protection for soft & vulnerable inner regions.

In the Second Position, both forelegs are fully extended, parallel to each other, spaced about 4-5 inches apart. The gentle stretching required for this position is soothing to the napper and offers both a welcome change from Position 1 and maximum frontal body exposure to the warms.

In the Third Position, the right footie is raised straight into the air, and the left dangled gracefully toward and slightly below it, forming a soft partial T.  The tip of the left paw is perpendicular to the middle of the right, with all toes gently curled inward for maximum effect.
Fourth position should form a neat little head cup. The right foreleg should semi-encircle the nosicle and mouth (taking great care to not impede respiration!) and the heddy should be inserted as deeply as possible into the little space created. If you do this position correctly, the Humans will be so overcome by devotion as to be unable to resist even your most outlandish demands.

14 comments:

The Island Cats said...

What a great demonstration of those 4 napping positions, Spitty. But I much prefer napping positing #5 which is flat out on my back, legs outstretched and the look of contentment on my face. ~Wally

Summer at sparklecat.com said...

I hope all kitties are taking notes!

Ivan from WMD said...

What a great tutorial, Spitty. You hit the nail right on the head!

Megan said...

A very high-brow treatise, Spitty. You write as though you favour Position 4, although it's not immediately obvious why that should be so. I rather liked the sound of Position 3 myself.

Megan
Sydney, Australia

Andrea and the Celestial Kitties said...

Pardon me, I must squee.... SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Ahem, now, master, tell me what you bid of me and I shall perform such duty as speedily as possible!

Catio Tales said...

We like this analysis of napping positions a lot. We notice the beddie is quite important in this style.
I am one for free napping with exposure of the curly bits (#5 as The Island Cats state). And as for those burmese - well, that's got to be tantric napping in its complexity.

Katie Isabella said...

MIneMine. Tell me mine? Back..all 4 in the air? xoxox BTW, coming over?

Dad P said...

A marvelous and Classic Spitty post! Informative, knowledgeable, knowledgeable and totally Cat. Thank you!!

pilch92 said...

You are such a cutie Spitty :) No one would ever guess the pain you can inflict on a human.

Anonymous said...

Excellent demonstration of the classics Spitty. I am a devotee of #4 - which I call "Pill Bug" and find most comfortable of the positions.

Hugs, Sammy

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

it appears you have those down! catchatwithcarenandcody

Lone Star Cats said...

I'm takin notes!

Cathy Keisha said...

I come up with a 5th one and TW hates it. When I'm having breathing problems, I stretch all the way out with my neck stretched out.

Kitties Blue said...

Fourth Position is the favorite of most of us. We do like Fifth Position...lying on our backs with all four legs waving in the air. That's a good one for catching cool breezes on the tummy furs. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo