Most owners believe that their mustachioed friend is a full member of the family. In this regard, the desire of the owner and the cat to spend as much time as possible together is understandable - even during rest. There is still no consensus on why pets like to sleep in public, but there are many interesting assumptions.
What does the choice of a cat’s sleeping place indicate?
Cats love to sleep on high ground. They feel safe there. Therefore, they often rest on window sills, the back of a chair or sofa. Just as cats are attracted to closets. If the door is open, the cat will climb inside and curl up in the back of the closet. Furry housewives love boxes and baskets in which they feel completely safe. And if you put soft things there, such as a sweater, jacket or scarf, the animal will happily sleep without its hind legs for 20 hours.
Window sill - favorite place to sleep
Cats happily sleep on ironed clothes or on a bed with clean linens.
In winter, the cat will choose a place on the radiator or next to the heater, and in summer - a cool floor.
Cats sense human energy well. Therefore, she will not kneel or sleep next to someone she does not trust.
Let's figure out why cats sleep with their owners.
Desire to show superiority
For many cats, lying on a human body is evidence of dominance over him. A furry friend marks his territory this way, leaving his scent on the pillow. Shows that the person belongs to him, and he can feel like an emperor. This especially happens if there are other animals in the family. A narcissistic pet demonstrates to its fellow tribesmen a special closeness to its owner, thus showing a certain amount of its selfishness. In addition, the cat's instinct tells who is dominant in the house. For its own safety, the four-legged friend chooses to sleep together with members of the household.
Main reasons
Cats come to sleep in their owner's bed for a variety of reasons.
Cats feel safe when they fall asleep at their owner's feet. In this case, the legs are like a box that protects their body while they sleep.
If a cat sleeps with one person, it remembers his smell well. Over time, it is this smell that will give the cat a sense of security while sleeping.
Cats are independent creatures. However, they also become attached to people. The animals spend most of the day waiting for their owner. At night they come to the master's bed to make up for the lack of communication.
Kittens love to cuddle from birth
While the kitten lives with its brothers and sisters, they sleep together, hugging tightly. This way they feel protected. Therefore, the habit of hugging someone remains with them into adulthood.
Cat treats
Communication with cats has a therapeutic effect. For example, if your blood pressure is high, sitting your cat on your lap and petting it for a while can help lower it.
Fluffy pets sense if someone close to them is sick. They come and lie on the sore spot, relieving the pain. This fact can be explained in another way. With inflammation, the temperature rises. Cats, with their love for warm places, will lie down on the sore spot. The heat from the cat's body will act as a heating pad, providing some relief from the pain.
The animal wants to dominate
By sitting next to a person on a warm bed, cats show that the owner is their property. No one has the right to be around anymore when they are together.
It's normal for a cat to be dominant in a relationship.
They leave their scent on bedding, marking their territory. They can also scratch the headboard. A fluffy living ball on the owner’s chest eloquently says: “You are my slave.”
Attention deficit
A cat that constantly tries to share a bed with a beloved family member, despite his protests, simply needs attention. The owner, who is absent from home all day, is required to allocate 20 minutes to communicate with the pet. Games, head and ear massage, belly stroking are simple actions that will give your cat positive emotions. A satisfied animal will go to sleep somewhere else, and the question “why does she come to my bed again and again?” will disappear by itself.
Cat looking for a comfort zone
A comfortable place for a mustachioed pet is a safe place. Who, if not the owner whom the cat has chosen, will protect it?
The master's bed will be a salvation for a furry friend if strangers often visit the house and even stay overnight. Do not drive the cat away in such cases.
It’s better to let her nestle at your feet one more time than to collect fur that has fallen out of stress in the corners.
Does it matter what parts of the human body a cat lays on?
Trying to fit more comfortably on the owner’s body, the cat does not always care about its comfort, but worries about the human’s health and tries to point out the problem. In the old days, it was believed that a mustachioed friend would lay down precisely on the part where there was already painful sensations or where pain would soon appear.
Indeed, there are patterns in why a pet is located in a certain place:
- When the fluffy lays down on his feet, it’s worth thinking about the health of his joints or veins. If there are no problems with the limbs, then the mustachioed doctor is simply trying to relieve the fatigue and tension that has accumulated during the working day.
- If a cat lies down on a person, choosing its head as a “bed,” this may indicate the owner’s weather sensitivity. The pet seeks to alleviate a person’s condition, relieve headaches, influence high blood pressure, and relieve tension.
- If your pet stomps and then lies down on its chest, this may be a signal of problems with the cardiovascular system. By choosing the left side of the chest as a bed, the mustache tries to alleviate suffering, relieve tension and normalize the heartbeat.
We must remember that the cat most often chooses one family member as a sleep partner, whom he cares for and protects. Therefore, observing the behavioral characteristics of a fluffy and his desire to lie on another person gives another reason to think about his state of health.
Pros and cons of spending time together with a cat
It is very pleasant to fall asleep to the pleasant purring next to a warm and fluffy pet. Cats relieve stress and improve your mood. Sleeping together relieves the feeling of loneliness for both humans and cats. These are absolute advantages.
The main disadvantage of keeping a cat in bed is the high probability of contracting dangerous diseases.
Worms, fleas, scabies mites, ringworm, toxoplasmosis are an incomplete list of diseases that a cat can bring with it to its owner’s bed. Even if the animal does not walk outside, the tray serves as an excellent breeding ground for pathogens.
Not all owners can get a good night's sleep with cats. Fluffy pets often stretch out to their full height, forcing the owner to take an unnatural position while sleeping. Yes, and a person can crush, hit or throw a cat out of bed.
Disturbing sleep
Another aspect that cat owners should consider is the potential for sleep disturbance. That's right, since cats are often nocturnal, there's a chance that this furry buddy will walk all over the person while they're trying to sleep, interfering with their REM sleep cycle.
But overall, there is no consensus on how cats affect sleep quality. A 2015 study conducted by the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine and published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceeding offers mixed results when it comes to animals that can disrupt sleep.
In the study, which included a questionnaire and follow-up interviews with 150 patients, 41% of pet owners described their pets as being very helpful for their sleep. Meanwhile, another 20% of pet owners disagreed and said their pets actually disturb their sleep.
Should you let your child sleep with a cat?
Children love to sleep with pets. If a cat treats a child well, she will not mind spending time together with her little owner. Don't forget about hygiene. Before going to bed, be sure to wash your animal's paws.
Children love sleeping with their pets
If the cat and child are healthy, there are no obstacles to them sleeping together. Children who spend a lot of time with pets from childhood grow up attentive and kind.
What does Dr. Sarah say?
The simple truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer: it depends entirely on the pet's personality and overall behavior. So says Dr. Sarah Ochoa, a practicing veterinarian and veterinary consultant at DogLab, a site that reviews dog products.
“Most cats are very clean animals and groom themselves and sometimes even their owners all the time,” she explains. For this reason, owners should not be too concerned about dander or debris problems. According to Dr. Ochoa, if a person finds some debris left in their bed, then this may just be a reason to select a different type of cat litter.
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How to wean a cat from sleeping in the owner's bed?
Despite the benefits of sleeping together, not all people agree to share their bed with cats. To painlessly wean your pet from resting in the owner’s bed, follow these simple recommendations:
- Place your pet's area outside the master bedroom. It should be comfortable and safe. When an animal tries to climb onto the owner's bed, carefully take the animal to its resting place.
- If your cat jumps onto the bed and begins to get ready for bed, do not yell at it. Spend some time with your pet and cuddle her. Then take him to his own bed.
Allergy
But even if your cat is clean, this may not necessarily relieve the owner of allergic problems. If you are allergic to cats, your best bet is to keep them out of your bedroom. That's exactly what Meng Chengwu, MD, PhD, assistant professor of allergy and immunology at the Stanford T.H. Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, says. Sean N. Parker.
“Cat allergens are very sticky and can remain in place for months even after a thorough cleaning of the area, even if the cat has already been removed from the environment,” explains Dr. Chen. “It is for this reason that it is important not only that the cat does not sleep in a person’s bed, but it is better to not allow it into the bedroom at all.” This is especially true for those owners who experience severe allergies.
How to accustom a cat to its sleeping place?
Spend time with your cat before bed. Pet her. Although cats cannot talk, they understand humans very well. Talk to the animal calmly. The pet will calm down when it hears affectionate speech and will feel loved.
Send your cat to the bed more often. Place the owner's item in the resting place. The pet will think that the owner is next to him. Before going to bed, sit with your pet on the lounger and treat him with a treat. After some time, the animal will be happy to come to its own bed. After all, she will give him pleasant feelings.
Are there any problems?
Cat lovers know very well what can happen when the door of a house or any door in an apartment closes. Most likely, the cat will sit by the door and meow until the door opens. The owner thinks that the animal is so bored, so he will allow him to sleep in the same bed with him. In addition, many people like to doze off, feeling the presence of their furry friend nearby, especially pleasant when the cat purrs.
And yet, at some point the question may arise: can this beloved animal, by its constant presence in bed, somehow harm human health?
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This question is truly reasonable. Thanks to an animal, animal dander and garbage may end up in the bedroom, and a person’s sleep may be disturbed. Yes, there may be plenty of problems and worries.
Tips for safe co-sleeping
If the owner and cat want to sleep together, it is worth following the rules that will make resting together safe:
- Monitor your pet's health and promptly treat it for fleas and worms.
- Don't skip preventive vaccinations.
- Wipe your pet's paws before bed.
Love doesn't only happen between people
Cats are wonderful companions. They know how to be loyal and loving. Give affection and show care for your furry friends every day. A satisfied pet will not want unnecessary attention at night. And if he fights for his part of the bed, think about it. Maybe this is true love and you shouldn’t be so categorical?
Treatment of diseases
Cat breeders often believe that cats have extraordinary energy that they share with people. They even take on chronic diseases, which is why they go to bed with the owner. Scientists explain this behavior differently. Heat-loving pets are placed on the diseased organ, since it emits the most thermal energy. With their rumbling they can calm the nervous system, relieve stress and fatigue, but nothing more. Cat treatment does not help with serious disorders in the body.
Declaration of love
If a cat remains alone in the house for a long time, even if he was sleeping soundly all this time, the pet really misses his owner, and when he returns, he will rub against his legs, expressing his love. But how to express your love at night? To do this, the “fluffy” lies down next to or on the owner’s stomach and demonstrates his feelings with his rumbling.
Although cats are considered selfish animals, they sincerely and selflessly love their family and owner, and they can demonstrate this only by giving their warmth during sleep, and they do not wait for a person to fall asleep, but climb into his arms and fall asleep, demonstrating their feelings. To show him reciprocal love, just scratch him behind the ear.
Feeling safe
All cats are natural hunters, and although domestic cats often do not need to hunt, they have no courage. However, no matter how brave they are during sleep, cats must be confident in their safety. Only someone who is stronger than them - a person - can give them such security.
When falling asleep with a person, a cat thus tries to avoid possible danger, since it considers a person to be the biggest predator in the apartment, and in case of danger, it understands that protection will come only from a person, therefore, the closer it is to such a “guard”, the safer .
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When a “furry baby” appears in the house, the issue of safety becomes very relevant, since, having recently had protection from the mother cat, the baby becomes lonely and defenseless, so the little kitten loves to sleep with a person, realizing that only he can provide for him necessary protection from a new habitat unknown to him .
