Do you let your cat sleep in your bed with you at night?

[cheshirebite]

My cat can sleep anywhere he wants in my room, but mostly prefers sleeping by my head on my bed. I have mix feelings about it just because of his excessive fur shedding (especially since it's summer) but overall I don't mind it. I feel a bit safe knowing he's there.

 

[keithm]

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• keithm
• Aug 6, 2016

I put a small folded blanket on my bed for Cleo to curl up on but she will often snuggle up beside me.

I really enjoy falling asleep to the sound of her purring. She's such an adorable little thing.

~Keith

 

[miagi's_mommy]

Does your cat sleep with you at night? Yes.

Do you like it or dislike it? I love her sleeping with me.

Do you believe what some doctors say is true, that sleeping with your pet can lead to health problems? I'm not sure there's a study on this?? My cat helps me fall asleep faster.

Where does your cat sleep in your bed? By my side.

Why do you think cats do this? Because she enjoys my company and I enjoy hers.

 

[ginny]

Oh yes, every night.  Sometimes they get a little too close, so if I ever need to turn over all I have to do is cough and they move for a little bit, and come back after I'm settled.

 One warning: cats are like alam clocks except that they do not have a snooze button.  And if you pat the head looking for it you will activate the continuous alarm which is the purr.  In the sleepy quiet dark at 4:30 a.m. that sweet sound is kind of like a jackhammer.  There will be no going back to sleep with purring going on, at least not for me, lol.  

 

[kittygirl321]

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• kittygirl321
• Aug 6, 2016

 

[tabbytom]

@kitty321
Your kitty is having a nice snooze [emoji]128164[/emoji][emoji]128164[/emoji][emoji]128164[/emoji]

 

[catsrforme]

Oh yes,definitely I have two cats and they sleep with me. One cat lays crossways at the foot of the bed and I have to either curl up or put my feet on either side of him. Sometimes one cat will be on one side of my feet the other the other side. When it gets cold the male lays on my feet. I always have warm feet on those cold nights.

 

[kittypa]

I don't. I wish I could, but I can't take the hair getting in the bed. 

 

[Alicia88]

Yep.  But sometimes, they get a wild hair up their butts and they start chasing each other all over the apartment on pouncing on any body part that moves under the blanket preventing any kind of sleep and we end up closing them out of the bedroom so we can sleep.  And then I don't sleep as well anyway because I don't have my kitty cuddles.

 

[Geoffrey]

 
Snip

Do you believe what some doctors say is true, that sleeping with your pet can lead to health problems? I'm not sure there's a study on this?? My cat helps me fall asleep faster.

The answer to this is: Yes indeed:

Apart from Fleas, The main types of diseases which people can pick up from cats are toxoplasmosis, rabies, cat scratch disease, salmonella, campylobacter, giardia and cryptosporidium, roundworm and ringworm.

Most of this list are very rare but beware:  Toxoplamosis can be caught by pregnant women and this can cause foetal damage so a pregnant women should talk to her doctor before allowing her cat to sleep with her!

Despite the fact that I am a human doctor, I have been sleeping with cats since the 1950s and my wife and I have continued this practice after our marriage.

With best wishes,

Geoffrey

 

[Alicia88]

 
The answer to this is: Yes indeed:

Apart from Fleas, The main types of diseases which people can pick up from cats are toxoplasmosis, rabies, cat scratch disease, salmonella, campylobacter, giardia and cryptosporidium, roundworm and ringworm.

Most of this list are very rare but beware:  Toxoplamosis can be caught by pregnant women and this can cause foetal damage so a pregnant women should talk to her doctor before allowing her cat to sleep with her!

Despite the fact that I am a human doctor, I have been sleeping with cats since the 1950s and my wife and I have continued this practice after our marriage.

With best wishes,

Geoffrey

Toxoplasmosis is incredibly rare in the US anymore and even more so with cats who have been indoor all their lives.  There is actually a test that you can have a vet conduct to find out if your cat has it, but it's expensive and mostly unnecessary.  It isn't dangerous to most people - just pregnant women and very small children - and even then, there is almost no risk if you have someone else clean the litter box for you while you're pregnant.  And most of the other diseases on that list are almost completely unlikely with cats who are indoor only.  And, the likelihood of rabies is very slim.  It's been nearly eradicated (in the US at least; I don't know about elsewhere) mostly due to pet owners vaccinating their pets and park rangers putting out food with an oral rabies vaccine that helps protect a lot of the wildlife.

I think the health risks of sleeping with your cat are small enough to be negligible if your cat is indoor only.  

 

[misslucinda]

Definitely yes. Since we just got Miss Lucinda last week, I want her to feel bonded with us and I feel like letting her sleep on the bed makes her feel more like this is her home, for real for real. She is a lady and never wakes me up. I tend to wake up when the sun comes up and then we have a little early morning petting session before we both go back to sleep. It makes me feel special and chosen by her and I think the feeling is priceless.

I am actually allergic to cats believe it or not... I take Flonase and Allegra every day so that I can live free of allergy symptoms and will be going into an allergist for allergy shots whenever I get around to it. It's worth it to me. We can't deal with a dog's needs and I have a strong emotional need for companionship as I work from home a lot. For what Miss Lucy does for me, the least I can do is let her feel like the whole apartment, bed included, is her home.

 

[mishventurer]

I'm afraid to let my cats sleep with me for hygienic reasons. I feel like they may track germs from their litter box and into my bed. How do you guys counter the hygiene issue?

 

[Geoffrey]

I'm afraid to let my cats sleep with me for hygienic reasons. I feel like they may track germs from their litter box and into my bed. How do you guys counter the hygiene issue?

I don't because we have no choice.  Sukie insists on sleeping with us and we haven't the heart to shut the bedroom door.  We would not be able to sleep because of our guilt feelings if we rejected her. 

For what it's worth, we have slept with 1, 2 or 3 cats ever since 1954 and we have never had any health issues from them, except that my wife was once bitten by a flea.

Incidentally we once had a Burmese female cat and we had shut the bedroom door on her.  In the middle of the night the door swung open - and there was Susie hanging on to the door handle!

with best wishes,

Geoffrey

 

[loveteachart]

Lizzie has slept with me pretty much every night since I got her, even in the summer (and this was a warm one for our area). Usually she curls up right near my head, but there have been times when she curls up so close to me that I have to scooch over before I can turn if I don't want to squish her. She naps with me too, and is on my lap or next to me if I sit down for more than 30 seconds. I love it because a, I know she's not getting into anything, and b, it just makes me happy that she wants to be so close to me. I've always been a light sleeper, but I've gotten better in the last several months with her.

 

[DreamerRose]

I'm afraid to let my cats sleep with me for hygienic reasons. I feel like they may track germs from their litter box and into my bed. How do you guys counter the hygiene issue?

Nothing. I don't worry about it.

 

[tabbytom]

This is my boy January sleeping on his pillows on my bed. This photo was taken 15 minutes ago

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• tabbytom
• Dec 5, 2016

 

[mishventurer]

I don't because we have no choice.  Sukie insists on sleeping with us and we haven't the heart to shut the bedroom door.  We would not be able to sleep because of our guilt feelings if we rejected her. 

For what it's worth, we have slept with 1, 2 or 3 cats ever since 1954 and we have never had any health issues from them, except that my wife was once bitten by a flea.

Incidentally we once had a Burmese female cat and we had shut the bedroom door on her.  In the middle of the night the door swung open - and there was Susie hanging on to the door handle!

with best wishes,
Geoffrey

That's one smart kitty! I'm sure sleeping with cats are fine but I haven't been able to wrap my head to a solution around dealing with dirt and germs from their paws yet.

 

[DreamerRose]

Cats are very clean and wash their paws regularly. They always have a complete wash-up before going to sleep. That should be your solution.

 

[Alicia88]

 
Cats are very clean and wash their paws regularly. They always have a complete wash-up before going to sleep. That should be your solution.

Every time I turn around, one of my boys is grooming himself.  And did you know that cat saliva contains a detergent that helps them clean their fur?  I read that somewhere; I don't remember where.