Should You Sleep With Your Cat

Is your cat sleeping in your bed with you? Many people view their cats as members of the family and include them in family activities. In general, it is perfectly fine to sleep with your cat, but note that they can pass on zoonotic diseases. So it’s important to make sure that she is up to date on her vaccinations and is regularly treated for worms and fleas. There are reasons you should – and you shouldn’t – share the bed with your feline friend.

Reasons You Should

Kitty therapy! Slumbering the night away together can be pleasant and may provide psychological benefits for you and your cat. Sleeping with your cat promotes bonding with her and can help you fall asleep easily. You are automatically more calm, relaxed and happy when you stay with her! Plus, she won’t take up any more room than a small canine – you can enjoy your personal space while sharing your bed with her, too!

Reasons You Shouldn’t

However, sharing the bed with cats isn’t ideal for everyone. This is because of concerns about disease transmission and sleep disruption. Here are a number of reasons why you shouldn’t sleep with your cat.

1. Allergies And Asthma

If you or your partner have asthma or allergies, you should not have cats in your bedroom. Bringing a cat into the bedroom will only make you or your partner suffer more. However, if both of you are in good health, there is no reason not to.

2. Diseases And Infections

Keep in mind that cats can have nasty bacteria on their feet from the litter box. Cats and dogs have been known to transmit parasites and diseases to the humans they sleep with. For instance, feline intestinal parasites including roundworms can be transmitted through exposure to cat fecal matter and cause illness in human.

Diseases such as Cryptosporidiosis and Toxoplasmosis also can be transmitted from cats to humans. If you want to sleep with your cat, be sure she is healthy. Note that flea and parasite prevention is a must. And don’t forget to keep her up to date on vaccinations.

3. Disturb Your Sleep

Felines sleep 16 hours a day, usually in short naps. They are commonly nocturnal animals and mostly spend much of the time sleeping all day. So don’t expect your cat to sleep at the bedtime – cats can be very active at night and can disturb your sleep. Your bedtime is her paw-ty time! She may paw or sit on your face to wake you up.

If the problem is sleep disruption, keep your cat awake and active by playing, feeding and interacting with her throughout the afternoon and evening. If you want to share your bedroom with her, make sure she can get to her food, water and litter box at night without disturbing you. You can toss a few toys inside the bedroom to make sure she will have something to do if she gets restless at night.