Pets

My friend who took Leo in was devoted to caring for him. Like you, she rescues strays and finds homes for them. She lavished him with so much affection that he bonded strongly with her. I think he missed her attention and being away from her triggered some earlier anxiety that he had from being alone and abandoned when she found him. We guessed that his mother and litter mates had died, or that he'd been a pet who got lost or abandoned.

Each time that he woke me and I opened my eyes, he was sitting with his face directly over mine, staring at my face.

As a side point, my friend is a naturalized American citizen from Mexico. She spoke Spanish to Leo all the time. So I started using Spanish with him. When I said things to him in Spanish, like, "Such a good boy," and "Handsome kitty," he would roll onto his back and wiggle with joy, waiting for a belly rub. Eventually, he responded to both English and Spanish. Or maybe it was just the tone of voice.