A furry outdoor adventure for...
Bed cats
I love a good bed cat, and I’m fortunate that I have three. All of my girls pack onto the bed with me, sleeping on me, under the covers or next to me.
When we first got Violet, she wasn’t allowed in the bedroom. My husband is allergic to cats, and the bedroom was going to be the one cat-free space in the apartment.
Fortunately, his will crumbled before mine did, and Violet had soon insinuated herself onto the bed, sleeping between us (and having occasional night time adventures across the top of the headboard.) By the time we got the other two, cats were an established fixture in the bed, and I’d never go back.
I’m not sure exactly what it is about bed cats. There’s something extremely soothing and relaxing about being surrounded by cats while you sleep. And it’s not that I generally enjoy being touched or restricted in my movements at night – drape your arm over me while I sleep and I’ll fidget in discomfort until you move it or till I shove it off. But pin me down with cats so that I can’t move a single limb, much less change position and I’ll happily stay in bed long after I had planned to get up.
Sleeping with cats is special. It’s comfortable and loving and adds another dimension to the relationship we have with our cats – they love us and trust us and grace us with their presence. I intuitively feel the value in this gift they give and I deeply appreciate it. I know they could easily fall asleep anywhere else – on the couch, on the pile of reusable grocery bags in the corner, in my laundry pile, in the middle of the kitchen floor… but they choose to sleep with me.
Do you let your cats sleep in the bed with you? Are they cuddlers or do they prefer to find their own sleeping spaces? Do you have cats that go under the covers?
Related posts:
- Kitties help make the bed
- Cats learn fast
- Don’t clean the litter box when you’re tired
- Goodbye Tiger
- Tiger and Bart are off to the Rainbow Bridge
Tags: bed, bed cat, bedcat, bedroom, cat, cuddle, pinned down, sleep, sleeping
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
May 12th, 2009 at 4:17 am
Train is allowed to sleep with us, and she’ll usually just sit herself somewhere on me so I can’t move. She rarely comes under the covers though, I think she feels a little trapped under there.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Under-the-covers cats seem to be a bit of a rarity… not too rare, but out of the 13 cats that we’ve had over the years, only three have been under-the-covers cats.
Reply
May 12th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Odin loves to sleep underneath the covers…..in between Adam and I. Not out of love for me however, but because he loves Adam so much he gets jealous when we are close.
If Odin spies Adam and I hugging, he immediately runs to Adam’s leg and stands upright arms stretched out for hugging, and meowing pitifully, until Adam picks him up. If I pick him up Odin will squirm towards Adam until his little paws are around Adam’s neck.
Kael will occasionally put himself under the covers but he prefers a spot beside the bed…just close enough for me to pet him.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 pm
XD That’s really rather cute. Demanding, jealous kitty.
Reply
May 12th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I always sleep in the big bed! Usually I start in the crook of my Mommie’s knees. Then I gradually get closer and closer, and sometimes try to sleep across her neck. She usually moves me back down.
Harley spends the night going from the bed to the window to the cat tree and back again. Oh, and he usually drags at least 2 of his toys into the bed.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Violet some times sleeps across my neck. I don’t mind too much – it’s like wearing a warm, fuzzy scarf, and she’s quite small and light.
Does Harley play with his toys in bed, or does he just like to cuddle with them?
Reply
May 12th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Amber sleeps curled up in my arm for most of the night – partially under the covers in the cooler months. When she first settles in, she purrs and purrs – there’s nothing like drifiting off to sleep with a cat’s purr in your ears.
I lost my little Buckley last November and I still miss her terribly – she also slept on the bed, usually she’d be right behind me, stretched out against my back. She had this endearing habit, though – no matter where she was on the bed, at some point during the night, usually around 3 or 4am, she would make her way up to where Amber and I were sleeping, and she’d wedge herself in between the headboard and my arm, wanting to be close to both of us. I miss a lot of things about her, but that’s probably at the top of the list.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I’m so sorry for your loss. Buckley sounds so sweet – I can understand why you’d miss that.
With the way cats are able to sleep pretty much anywhere, you really have to appreciate how special it is that they want to sleep with you and be close to you all night.
Reply
May 12th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
It’s a gift and an honor. I’m fortunate to have two that sleep under the covers; 1 that sleeps on top, and 1 that sleeps on me. And you are right-it’s so difficult to get out of bed when you’re snuggled down in that kind of furry warmth. I am a restless sleeper, but everyone seems to just ‘ride the waves’ as I toss and turn.
How lucky can one person be?!
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:16 pm
We loving cat-parents have it pretty darn good. I wouldn’t trade a bed full of cats for anything.
Reply
May 13th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Hey there,
My 3 fur babies don’t sleep in the bedrooms, I have my frog tank in mine and we (son and I) also like to sleep in the night…LOL! They can run all night, I have an extra large dog kennel for night time so we can leave our doors open for circulation while we sleep.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I guess if your cats just sleep at night it’s not so bad having them in the bedroom. If they’re active and running around then keeping them out is definitely a good idea.
I’ve been woken up more than once by a cat jumping from the window or headboard onto me and it’s not pleasant. Pointy little paws lol
Reply
May 13th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I have a “vintage” snuggle puss – age 17 – that insists upon sleeping on my pillow with his paws draped over my head or touching my face. The older he gets, the more I spoil him, too! I love to bury my face in his fur… cats smell so good (and you can tell if they’re ill when the scent changes).
Great article – love your blog! (Found you via Men with Pens comments)
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 10:04 am
That is so sweet! I love it when cats gently touch your face with their paws – it’s very loving especially since they really can do a lot of damage with those claws if they choose to extend them.
You know you’re a true cat lover if you like to smell cats XD That’s one of the best things about cats… what other pet actually smells GOOD?
Reply
May 19th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I have a bed cat… sort of. My 7 year old, Nicholas, started getting under the covers and sleeping with his head on the pillow next to mine when he was 6 weeks old. I found this absolutely adorable.
By two, he decided that he preferred the pillow altogether- namely wedging himself between myself and the pillow, such that I invariably wake up sleeping on top of him.
This took some getting used to, as said cat is huge and given to purring and kneading his bedmates ad nauseum (but don’t *you* move or make any noise, or you’ll be getting The Look and possibly a thump or two)… and frankly, sleeping with him is a little distracting! I have since mastered the art, however, and now find it nearly impossible to sleep sans Nick.
My other two share the bed, but aren’t much for physical contact. One generally occupies the spare pillow, and the other sleeps at the foot of the bed.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Oh my.. you don’t wake up with a sore neck after sleeping on top of a cat? XD
Reply
May 31st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
My cats let me know when it’s time for bed. They sit side by side and stare at me with “the look” that you can’t possibly avoid. If that doesn’t work, they’ll get in the midst of whatever I’m doing and assume the “meatloaf” position. Hattie likes to be carried up the stairs to bed and Pie follows closely behind. That has become a favorite ritual. Pie anchors down a spot on my feet or legs and Hattie curls up in the crook of my right arm as I read for a bit. Once lights are out, we all seem to melt together in a closely connected pile of purrs and contentment. During the night I wake up once or twice by whiskers tickling my face, Hattie’s endearing habit of getting a few more pats and scrummies before daylight.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 9:49 am
How sweet! I couldn’t imagine a nicer bed time ritual.
I lovelovelove that meatloaf position. It’s just so cute, with the paws all tucked in neatly.
Reply
RaivynSkye Reply:
November 29th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Me and my husband call that position “The Toaster Cozy”
Reply
June 6th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
That gives me hope. My man is also allergic to cats, and we have been living together for a year now.
For the first few months of living together, Oscar would jump on the bed 5 or 6 times in a row, always being put back on the floor. It really broke my heart to do that to him. He had slept with me for 13 years!!! After a few months he got the hint, and he doesn’t try anymore…at least not at night.
Now that he isn’t doing well, my man is OK with Oscar coming in and jumping up in the morning like he usually does. We get a nice 15 minutes or sometimes even an hour together, depending on when he comes in.
Reply
Anlina Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 9:41 am
He’s still allergic to the cats, but he definitely adapted a lot compared to how he reacted when we first got the cats. Violet will even lay right on his chest and he’s pretty much okay.
Reply
June 29th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
We have two cats and they both sleep with us. They take up a third of the bed! In the morning, as soon as I open my eyes, they are all over me. They crawl on top of me and beg me to pet them. It drives us nuts, but we cant push them down
They meow and just wait for us to get up to feed them. It is kinda cute, even though its annoying!
Reply
February 17th, 2010 at 5:49 am
Well , I have a question, why does my cat like to walk on me? Thats right “Patty” will walk right up my foot,leg,but,back and stand right on top of me looking down into my ear or side of my face. She actually balances herself when she walks up my body. She does this all of the time. and I just love it , I wish I could get it on video.
This little cat goes everywhere with me, I guess she thinks i’m her mother. She is pretty happy in my home and likes to sleep with me, Im her heatting pad on cold nights. Ha!
Yes , I love my cat, not ashamed of it at all. It’s a myistry to me why a little animal will love a human so much.
Thanks for the chance to write to you.
Reply