Civil Disobedience

I am tired of mommy and daddy telling me where and when to sleep. Am I not a human being? Even the cats can sleep where and when they want! I had been protesting my parents' oppressive bedtime and nap-time policies simply by not sleeping, but punishing myself in this manner has become physically exhausting, so I have devised a new tactic.

Yesterday, when mommy put me down for a nap in the crib, I dove head-first out of the miniature prison cell, making it clear that I would not be napping in the human equivalent of a chicken coop. After I calmed down—I have a short temper when it comes to injustice—mommy laid me down in bed and instructed me to go to sleep. Honestly, the bed is rather comfortable, but I will not sleep somewhere simply because an authority figure tells me to. This is a matter of principle.

So, once mommy left the room, I got out of bed and searched for an alternative location for my afternoon nap. I settled on the bottom shelf of my bookcase, which I first had to clear off. It wasn't quite as comfortable as the bed, but it was about the right size:

To quote Henry David Thoreau:

I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not so desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.