...But he's actually a really good kitty.

There's something I should mention about Birch's foolproof wakeup system: most of the time, he only does it after my alarm goes off and I've started hitting "snooze"!  It's like he knows I'm trying to get up and he wants to help, or he's bored and lonely but doesn't want to disturb me until I've had proper sleep, or something.

...Although he will often come up next to me in the very early morning for a purr and a snuggle, and for some reason his snuggles usually involve stretching out and lightly raking his claws down my face and neck.

Why always the face-to-face cuddle?  Why does he never want me to SPOON him?

It always wakes me up, but that doesn't seem to be his goal.  His little peanut brain just can't comprehend that his claws are automatically extending every time he goes to affectionately touch my cheek.

Overall, he seems to respect my need for sleep.  I feel very, very lucky.