Things to keep in mind before sleeping with your cat

Sleeping with our furry four-legged beloved is, from experience, one of the best things we can do. It is a perfect opportunity to enjoy your company while we pamper you and / or simply contemplate your beauty. But we cannot forget that humans and cats are very different animals in some respects, and the circadian rhythm is one of them.

And is that, while our friends are predators that hunt at night, people are usually diurnal. So I'm going to tell you what things to keep in mind before sleeping with your cat you should know.

What you have to know is ...

The cat is a nocturnal animal ...

And we are going to start with what I was already anticipating. The cat mainly sleeps during the day, and it is at night when the family goes to bed when it is most active. This means that If we let him sleep with us, he might wake us up at dawn for example, which is most likely not very funny.

… But it can be »changed»

The way you can sleep with a cat through the night is to keep it active during the day. Be careful, it is not about depriving him of his naps, if not take advantage of those moments that he is awake to play with him. From experience I can tell you that three play sessions of about 15-30 minutes a day are enough for the cat to rest at night.

How to help cats sleep at night?

Beware of allergy

If we have allergies to dander or cat hair, the most sensible thing would be not to sleep with it, for our own good. But if we are very excited We can choose to apply a cream sold in veterinary clinics and pet stores (Spanish) called Vetriderm.

In addition, we will have to brush it daily and vacuum it often. We have more information here.

In times of illness it is better not to let him sleep with you

There are very few diseases that a cat can infect us or that we can transmit to him, but for a matter of hygiene if one of the two is not well, the ideal is not to sleep together.

But if we want to avoid reaching that situation, we have to take good care of ourselves, that is, eat healthy and exercise, and in the case of the furry, we must also ensure that they are happy and that they have the vaccines.

I may snore

Like humans, the cat can also snore. Although if it does, we have to take him to the vet since the normal thing is that in those cases it has some respiratory disease.

What are the benefits of sleeping with a cat?

Sharing the night with our best furry friend has multiple benefits that are:

The relationship is strengthened

Getting a cat's friendship is a bit more complicated than getting a dog's, and that is because the character and personality of the little feline is quite similar to what we have. So, the more time we spend with him, and the more we respect him, the more united we will be.

Free massages are received

Small yes, but cuddly enough so that we can relax and continue to sleep peacefully and quietlyNot without first giving her a few pampering in the form of kisses and caresses of course. He does them for free, without asking for anything in return, but it doesn't hurt to take advantage of those moments to show him how much we love him.

Health is improved

There are various studies that talk about the subject, such as this which shows that living with a cat reduces stress levels, as well as anxiety and depression. Consequently, The chances of dying from heart attacks are reduced by up to 30%.

You have a reliable alarm clock

If the cat is characterized in something, it is in its need to follow a routine. This can be useful to us, since every morning we will have to get up yes or yes at the same time so that we can give him his favorite can, or fill the trough with water, or let him go outside (if he usually goes out normally), or etcetera 🙂.

Your body heat shows

Whether we are very cold or not, sleeping with a cat It will help us a lot to protect ourselves from the cold. Why? Because it does not matter how big the bed is, it is most likely that it lies down or next to us, or on the abdomen or legs, or that it uses our head as a cushion.

What are the diseases that cause sleeping with a cat?

If the animal is healthy, the answer is none. To be healthy you have to put the compulsory vaccinations, give him a quality diet (without cereals) and provide him with all the necessary care (ensure that he has water and food daily, his litter box clean, respect it, play with it, etc.) so that he has a happy and comfortable life.

And still, as we said before, there are very few diseases that can transmit us, or us to him:

Rage: it is a disease caused by a virus that is transmitted between different animals (people, dogs, cats, ...) through saliva. The most common symptoms are sudden mood swings, drooling, loss of appetite and weight, listlessness, and in extreme cases death. Here You have more information.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: is transmitted by a type of bacteria, the Rickettsia rickettsii, which enters the body through the bite of a tick. It causes paralysis, dizziness, and instability.
It is very common in the United States and Australia.
toxocariasis: it is a disease caused by parasites toxocara cati o toxocara canis. The symptoms can vary depending on each person, dog or cat, but in general they are: fever, cough, asthma, pneumonia, meningitis, epilepsy.
Toxoplasmosis: it is a parasitic disease transmitted by various causes (having contact with sick rodents, handling the feces of an infected cat with bare hands, eating raw meat, not taking proper hygiene care, among others that we tell you here) that is normally symptom-free in humans, but can sometimes cause irritability, flu, encephalitis, or miscarriage.

Where should a cat sleep?

My cat Sasha

The answer should be: wherever he wants, but always in a safe, comfortable and protected area from the cold 😉. Mine, for example, sleep in:

The sofa and armchair in the living room.
In the chairs around the house.
In the bed they have on a table in my bedroom.
In the little beds they have next to mine.
In my bed (since there are four of them, it is more his than mine).
On the ground when it is very hot.
On the desk.

And I repeat: there are 4. Keisha, Benji, Sasha and Bicho, 7, 5, 3 and 2 years old respectively (at the time of writing this article, in 2019). So you see, although they have beds that are only their own, they don't always use them; in fact, I would say that they are the least used.

However it is clear that if a person has an allergy, with serious symptoms, they cannot let their cat sleep with them (at least, not in the same bed), for a health issue. And it is the same when you are sick.

In the case of babies, there should be no problem in letting them sleep with the cat, but always under adult supervision.

How to accustom a cat to sleep in your bed?

The ideal is to start when it is still a kitten, since then it grows and if it gets used to sleeping in people's beds then it will be a VERY complicated task to change its mind. The step by step to follow is the following:

Play with it for an hour divided into several short sessions throughout the day. So you will be tired at night.
When it's time to sleep, take him to his bed.
Give him lots of love and caresses; also some candy.
If when you go to bed, he follows you, take him gently and carry him back to your bed.

You will have to repeat many times, but in the end you will probably succeed. But I insist, if he is an adult, to these steps you will have to add closing the door to your bedroom.

So, I hope that everything you have learned has been useful to you 🙂.

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