# Cats Sleeping With You



## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

This is a follow-up to the thread about cats sleeping with you. In the 1-1/2 years I've had Rookie (my first cat ever), I've kept my bedroom door shut at night because I know she would wake me up during if she were on my bed. I'm a light sleeper and an insomniac, so I need to do everything possible to get a good night's sleep. I do feel kind of guilty doing it, though, because I know she would like to be wherever I am. When she sees that I'm going to bed, she sticks to me even closer than normal until I head up the stairs and shut the door. My question is, do you stop your cats from sleeping with you, and do you feel guilty about that?


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## blackeyedgurl (Jun 29, 2006)

Both of mine get to come and go as they please all night. My little girl "tucks" me in every night. She come sto bed with me, even gets under the covers and cuddles for about 10 minutes, then she gets up and goes about her nightly business (she's my night cat, she plays quietly by herself and watches the animals and sleeps mostly in the living room at night, but if she's cold she'll crawl in bed with me). 

My little boy is another story. He's an attention ***** and so will do anything in his power to disrupt my sleep. Lately he's been pretty good about it. Sometimes he also tucks me in, but mostly he'll come to bed after his sister leaves. He does the same thing (under the covers, cuddle, 10 mins out), but often will come back all night long meowing or banging on things or knocking things over just to get my attention. Recently he sort of stopped, which I am attributing to the sparkle pompons I bought him. He is in love with them, and plays all the time. Since he got them he hasn't harassed me at night as much. This is also a behavior issue that is related only to this cat, so he is not the norm. Every morning I wake up with him cuddled up to me (he sleeps late, I'll tuck him in, and I've even come home from work at lunch to find him unmoved from that morning).

When I tried to "lock" these guys out of my room, they sat outside of it and meowed and howled and banged on the door, and it was more miserable for me to lock them out than let them in. I'm a light sleeper, but I live alone and sometimes it's just nice to have someone to cuddle with in bed (which I know sounds so "crazy cat lady" of me, but it's true, I miss them when I go out of town!).


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I don't blame you for missing them at all! Your routine sounds really nice, actually. In my case, I would wake up every time one of them came in or out of bed, made even the smallest noise, etc., and I would wake up tired and cranky. I guess I'm lucky that Rookie doesn't meow when I close the door. I've just always done it that way since we got her, so maybe she never came to expect it. Anyway, I was feeling a little guilty about depriving her of my company (hahahhaha) during the overnight hours.


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## Shadue (Oct 31, 2006)

Tink is definatly a cuddler. My wife usually goes to bed a few hours before me so the routine is she takes Tink to bed with her for a 10 minute cuddle, then Tink will slip out once my wife falls asleep.

Then sometime in the night after I go to bed she will hop up on the bed, make her way to my chest, flop over with her back to me and spoon with me all night. Never moves and 9 times out of 10 she doesn’t even wake me up when she does come to bed. She will sleep with me all through the night and usually wakes up with me when I get up.

Cleo (our new kitten) on the other hand is on the total opposite of the spectrum for the most part. She makes her way in the bedroom in the wee hours of the morning, gets on our bed, which has a very fluffy thick duvet, and does this "tigger" routine of bouncing all over the place. Drives my wife nuts. But usually around 8am she will finally come in after her nightly shenanigans and curl up with me and Tink for some rest.

We're hoping its just her feisty kitten stage and she will eventually grow out of it.


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## blackeyedgurl (Jun 29, 2006)

October: Trust me, I have spent many a day cranky and tired and an overall nightmare because of my little man! There have been times when he's at his worst where I will find myself yelling in the middle of the night "I'm sending you to grandma's permanently!" because he just drives me nuts. But after a while you lose so much sleep that you sleep like a rock and sleep through all their shenanigans. The funniest part: friday night and saturday night he never would bother me, only during the work-week!

Have you ever napped with your cat? Like on the couch? Most cats who are good napping with their people will be good sleeping with them.

Because they've never slept with you though, I don't think they know if they are missing out on something. I wouldn't feel guilty, as long as they have a comfy bed and snacks and toys while you are sleeping, then I'm sure the cat is fine. At least you care enough to worry!


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## Bethany (Jul 19, 2006)

I started letting my cats sleep with me when I got them this summer, but they kept either chasing each other across the bed at 4am, or attacking my toes and/or hair at 4am.

Since they were always shut out by morning anyway, I figured I'd skip the waking-up-at-4am part and just shut them out from the start.

I do feel a little guilty when Stormy tries to follow me inside, but I'm the one who has to get up and go to work in the morning and they're the ones who are going to stay home and sleep all day -- so I figure my sleep needs have priority.

I also have to admit, much as I love the cats it's nice to have a little "just me" quiet time last thing in the evening and first thing in the morning.


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## ChevyIIMan (Nov 8, 2006)

Until Dusty began using the Litter Box by herself ive always kept her shut out of the bedroom. When I nap on the couch she will fall asleep in her bed next to the couch and nap with me. Tonight Erin decided to leave the door open so I will see what happens when I get home. I work nights and my fiance works days so I will proably keep the door shut cause Dusty im sure wil be crazy mid day and I wont get a lick of sleep.


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## roachal (Nov 2, 2006)

blackeyedgurl said:


> Have you ever napped with your cat? Like on the couch?


I think that is the only time my old cat would sleep with me. I have a picture from when I was pregnant and she was curled up on my stomach, we were both sound asleep on the couch, and the really neat thing was, she was pregnant too at the time.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Bethany -- You make an excellent point! We're the ones who have to get up in the morning and go to work, and they can stay home and sleep. I love that! 

I hesitate to even make an experiment with letting her come in my room at night, because if she likes it she'll expect it to continue, and if I then start shutting the door she'll probably meow and scratch at the door. This is an area where I should probably just let sleeping cats lie.


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## Crush (Nov 21, 2006)

I've always left the door open, at first they never came into the bed, but now three of them do.

Armand, my special baby follows me into bed and curls up purring on my right sholder. Pheonix creeps in later and sleeps on my hip. I go to sleep to a symphony of purrs, i couldn't sleep without it now.

Mana is trouble though and continues to try to bite me and stick her nose in my face all night. But i'm a heavy sleeper so i just swat her away and go back to sleep. i could see locking them out if you were a light sleeper. She sometimes gets very annoying.

The other two hang out in the living room.


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## jennifer2 (Mar 5, 2005)

I've got 2 dogs and 2 cats that sleep with me :lol: 
Very rarely do I wake up when they get on or off the bed.
With my cats, it would actually be a racket if I tried to shut them out, they don't do closed doors and bang bang bang against them!


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## ChevyIIMan (Nov 8, 2006)

jennifer2 said:


> I've got 2 dogs and 2 cats that sleep with me :lol:
> Very rarely do I wake up when they get on or off the bed.
> With my cats, it would actually be a racket if I tried to shut them out, they don't do closed doors and bang bang bang against them!


I dont wake up when Dusty leaves and comes back but my finace does, and the cat loves to snuggle up real close to her cause she turns into a furnace when she falls asleep.


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## DP (Feb 6, 2006)

I let my 2 cats free roam and come and go into my bedroom during the night also.
One is a pretty good nap buddy and will zonk out and stay put, and the other is more fidgety and sometimes wakes me up but I've gotten used to him jumping on and off the bed during the night so it doesn't disturb me as much now but if I was continually being awakened during the night by them, I wouldn't have a problem with closing the bedroom door.
Its true they can get very warm sometimes, especially if they want to snuggle up around the neck area.


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