5 reasons why a cat sleeps next to its owner

Cats are interesting animals. They are quite independent, but at the same time insist on regular attention from their family members. They often sleep, but can be quite playful while they are awake. Sometimes they can be loud and annoying, and sometimes they can be sweet and cuddly. Luckily, most cats like to rest at night, just like their human companions.

Getting settled at night usually means going to bed. So, you might be wondering why your cat likes to sleep next to you every night. Is their own bed not comfortable enough? It turns out that cats like to sleep next to people for more reasons than comfort. Here are the reasons why your cat may like to sleep next to you at night.

They defend their territory

One of the main reasons why cats love to sleep with their owners is to protect their territory. They consider the entire house to be their territory, but they also take pride in being part of the family pack. So, when their family sleeps, they want to be there to protect them as part of their territory. Their most valuable "possession" is their people, so naturally they will want to be around you all night as well as during the day.

Cons of sleeping with a cat

Despite all the benefits and therapeutic effects, doctors advise that you approach the idea of sleeping with a cat with caution. There are several reasons for this:

Decreased sleep quality. A person, instead of falling asleep, communicates with his beloved pet, which reduces rest time. In addition, the cat often wakes up the owner by moving at night.
Reduced comfort. An animal may begin tossing and turning, biting, purring and stomping its paws in the middle of the night, thereby waking up a person.
Poor hygiene. The cat walks on the bare floor, rummages in the litter tray, and gets into places where dust and dirt accumulate. She can bring infectious agents or parasites into the bed, stain the linen, and leave hairballs.
Allergy risk. Too close contact with your pet can cause irritation of the skin and respiratory tract.

To avoid negative consequences, you need to take the following precautions:

do not let the animal outside, do not allow it to come into contact with unfamiliar (potentially infectious) pets;
once a month it is necessary to wash the cat and clean it thoroughly;
if the animal is a long-haired breed, it must be thoroughly combed and not allowed into the bed during shedding;
Regularly (once every 6 months) you should show your pet to a doctor to prevent fleas, lice, ticks and helminths;
Do not allow cats to sleep with small children and people prone to allergies;
Before letting your pet into bed, you need to wipe its paws with warm water and soap.

If sleeping with a cat causes discomfort to a person, you need to provide the pet with its own place to sleep on a soft and warm bedding. It should be located away from the noise, bustle and main places of human activity. You need to drive the animal out of bed strictly and decisively, but without shouting or assault. You should not punish your pet for following his habits - most likely, he will not understand the reason for the sudden bad attitude.

Scientists cannot clearly name the reason why cats love sleeping with humans. Pets sit and lie on the owner in search of safety, warmth and comfort, care and attention. Many owners believe that their pets deliberately heat a sore spot in an attempt to heal it. Others believe that in this way whiskered pets mark property and try not to let the owner out of control.

They like communication

Another reason why cats love to sleep with their human companions is that they love companionship, and having you go to bed every night is familiar to them. If you let your cat sleep with you even occasionally, it can quickly become a habit that's hard to break, especially on nights when you don't want her to sleep with you.

Why do cats climb into a person's bed?

Many pets choose a human bed as their place to sleep. Moreover, they climb there after the owner goes to bed. Scientists and popular rumor explain this behavior of the animal in different ways.

The table shows the scientific point of view and centuries-old observations of animals by ancestors, explaining the reason for the desire of cats to sleep with their owners.

Folk signs	Scientific explanation
Cat treats man	The diseased organ heats up due to the increased temperature of the inflamed tissues. Having chosen the warmest place near the person, the cat lies down near the sore spot. The warm body of a pet warms a person, calming, lulling, and reducing the intensity of pain.
Control the owner. Before lying down, the animal may stomp its paws on the person and poke its muzzle. This is how the pet tries to mark its territory, showing other animals that the owner is busy.	Scientists explain in their own way why cats, when lying on a person’s chest, begin to trample with their paws. They consider it an instinctive reaction left over from infancy. Kittens, accustomed to sleeping with their mother, when they get to a person, look for safety and warmth from him. And they stomp on the breasts with their paws, trying to stimulate milk.
Demonstration of love, affection.	Finding a safe place.
They take away negative energy and charge a person with positive energy.	In an effort to get more warmth, the cat chooses the warmest place - the human bed.

The cat loves attention. If the owner is absent all day, the animal lacks communication and attention. Cats feel abandoned and may become depressed. At night, furry animals climb into bed with their owner, trying to compensate for the lack of attention.

Ways to get your cat out of bed

If you don't want your cat to sleep next to you every night, there are a few things you can try to get her to startle before bed. Start by simply asking your cat to get out of bed before bed. If this doesn't help, try the following options:

Move the cat bed . Remove a bedside table or place a TV tray next to the bed and place one of your cat's beds on top. Hopefully your cat will sleep in her own bed and feel as if she's sleeping in yours.
Close your door . Closing the bedroom door is a surefire way to keep your cat out of bed at night. They may meow and howl the first few nights, but patience and persistence on your part should curb the irritation and help your cat accept his nighttime reality.
Offer to a friend for the night . Give your cat a new furry bedtime buddy to cuddle with in bed. With luck, they will be satisfied with the warmth, friendship and security it offers.

One or all of these options may be right for you and your cat, so it's a good idea to try them all before deciding which ones are best for your family.

Where cats sleep: energy

Many people come and go to a house or apartment. Some are positive, others are negative. Both positive and negative energy gather in the room.

Places where biofields intersect attract cats. They try to choose similar points for sleep. The reason for the strange behavior of the animals is as follows:

The animal senses negative energy and tries to normalize it.
A negative biofield has a detrimental effect on a person. Cats try to draw out bad energy.
Cats convert negative waves into positive ones.

The animal often changes its sleeping place, following the sources of negative waves. Sometimes furry pets go to sleep on the table. According to the superstition, a cat lying down to sleep on the table after the guests have left means these people wish bad things to the inhabitants of the house. The pet tries to protect its owners by expelling negative energy.

Important! According to superstition, a cat sleeps on the table if someone in the household is at risk of illness.

If the owners spend a lot of time at the computer, the cat may choose a computer desk as a sleeping place, trying to attract the owner’s attention. Electrical devices emit electromagnetic fields. The pet chooses where magnetic fields intersect, warning the owner about the risk posed by the computer.

A cat sleeping on the table is not always a bad omen. Often the animal climbs higher for better visibility and control of the territory. To understand exactly why the cat sleeps on the table, moving the table to a different place will help. If the animal stops climbing onto the table, then the table was in a bad place.

Final comments

Many people don't mind their cats sleeping next to them. However, not every cat owner feels the same way. I hope the information presented here will help you understand the reasons why your cat insists on sleeping with you and what you can do about it if you don't like it. How do you feel about cats sleeping with their human companions? Let us know what you think in our comments section.

Posted by Christian Adams An American expat living in Metro Manila, Philippines for over a decade, Christian is a lifelong cat lover and the proud father of two rescue cats, Trixie and Chloe. Both girls used to be among the crowds of homeless people who roam the cities and countryside. Three-year-old Trixie was rescued from a litter found under a neighbor's porch, and two-year-old Chloe was brought home by Christian's young son, Henry, who discovered the crying kitten in the parking lot.

Is it possible for a cat to sleep between spouses?

The cat is the keeper of the hearth. If one of the household members offends her, the animal will begin to take revenge by pouring urine on the shoes of the offender. If the offender is one of the spouses, the cat will try to force him out by sleeping between the husband and wife. Being between spouses in bed, cats interfere with their energetic unity.

Folk signs are quite contradictory. According to some beliefs, the pet tries to reconcile the spouses in case of a quarrel. She goes to bed between spouses, trying to attract negative emotions to herself.

Desire to keep warm

Livestock breeders and zoologists are sure that domestic cats sleep with their beloved owner because the bed is simply cozy and not cold, and they are very heat-loving creatures who adore comfort and coziness. The bed, heated by the human body, is the warmest corner in the room if there is no spacious radiator or heating pad nearby. The average body temperature of a furry animal is approximately 38.6 °C. He needs more warmth, which is why four-legged pets can so often be found on windowsills and balconies illuminated by the sun's rays.

At night, they move to a warm bed, using a person in the form of a huge soft heating pad. They are primarily located above the head or on the stomach. During sleep, it is these zones that radiate heat as much as possible, since active blood flow is maintained in them. Thus, cats do not treat headaches or migraines, as is commonly believed, but take care of their own comfort.

They love us

Many people believe that if a cat does not sleep with its owner, it means that he does not love him. We would not say so categorically, but at the same time, sleeping together with a person is one of the expressions of affection and tender feelings. Despite their selfishness and demonstrative independence, purring pets love us and try in every possible way to show it.

Cats truly become attached to us, they know how to get bored, empathize, and experience a wide range of emotions. Think about it, maybe the answer to the question, why does the cat sleep with me all the time, lies on the surface? Perhaps he misses you, you pay too little attention to him, you disappear at work, study or hanging out with friends?

How to wean a cat from co-sleeping

If for some reason you do not want to share a bed with your pet, you should try to wean the animal from the established habit. To do this, create a comfortable and warm place for your pet to sleep, it can be:

cozy soft bedding;
sun lounger with high sides;
a hanging lounger that is attached to the radiator;
cute hut;
full house with roof
lounger with wall mount and other options.

You can buy a cozy house, a soft bed or a comfortable hammock for your cat here:

The benefits and harms of cats

Thanks to their abilities, cats can take away negative energy from any things in the house. Therefore, they can lie down on their owner’s things.

Scientists advise not to drive away cats that decide to sleep on their owner’s things. Despite the positive properties of animals, pregnant women and children are advised to sleep with them with great caution.

Why you shouldn't sleep with cats

Cats are carriers of various diseases, so they are advised to be treated with great caution.

You should definitely take your animal to the veterinarian or buy various products to get rid of cat parasites. Some people have an allergic reaction to animal fur, so this is something to consider when purchasing a furry pet.