"Another wake-up tactic is to tap me on the face. He comes out from under the covers, climbs onto my pillow with his face directly above mine and not-so-gently taps me on the nose or the cheek or even on the eye or mouth with his large, heavy paw. Sometimes I try to hide under the pillow, but this is no good since his 100 lb weight is holding it down."

Credit : Melanie Typaldos/Rex Features