Talk about inner conflict. My old cat wanted constant attention at night when I was trying to sleep. He would walk onto my pillow, drape himself around my head, and then change position every few minutes, hoping I’d pet him. One minute I’d have a bony paw in my ear and the next, his tail under my nose. Then he would get up, come back, and start the routine all over again. After a week of my stumbling around blearly-eyed, and brain encased in cotton, I decided I finally had to let compassion and guilt give way to sleep.