Kitten Advice: Part 3- Sleeping

[ethics]

Where do your cats sleep? Do they sleep with you? Where SHOULD they sleep? What's a BAD place for them to get to sleep?

[MNeedham73]

Mine pretty much sleep wherever they feel like it. In or on the kitty condo, the couch or love seat, on my bed, wherever. Can't say I've ever tried to get a cat to sleep in a particular spot.

[ethics]

Wow, totally the opposite of a dog.

[MNeedham73]

Yep, pretty much. Both of my dogs are crate trained, so that's where they both sleep 99% of the time (occasionally I'll let one or both of them sleep on the floor of my bedroom).

I will say I also leave out the carrier I have for the cats. Mongo, at least, likes curling up in there.

[Advocat]

If cats sleep with you, you aren't going to sleep... cats being nocturnal and liking to play at night... if you have several, they may well end up playing tag over your sleeping body. ;)

My cats got put in the kitchen at night, with a shut door. After a while all I had to do was say "bedtime boys" and both cats would run into the kitchen to their preferred sleeping places: one liked to camp out on top of the gas dryer (nice and warm with the pilot light), while the other had a bed/house (one of those foam/velcro constructions) which was right beside a floor heating vent.

[Violet1966]

OMG protect your feet. Our kittens used to jump at our feet in the middle of the night. LOL We had a rugged thing we bought and they slept in that when they slept. Like a box with a rug on it. For littler box, we had a deodorizer box that had an air freshener in the top. Was easy to deal with with the clumping litter. We kept it in the bathroom, but it never smelled, and you could keep it anywhere.

[Copzilla]

Yeah, I totally agree with the idea that cats will sleep wherever they want. You do want to avoid having them in the bedroom at night, for more than one reason. The dander is an allergen, and while you may not be particularly allergic to it, it can still become an irritant. Being around it while sleeping exacerbates the issue.

But don't worry too much about setting them up beds or pillows or anything like that. They will find a corner at the top of the couch, a spot under a bed or behind a couch, whatever, that they prefer to snooze, and they will totally ignore what you tried to prepare for them. During the day, they will snooze all over the house.

We had a blanket folded up on a top shelf in our master closet. How our kitty made it up there is a mystery to this day, but that's where she slept. We would take the blanket out and wash it periodically, and fold it and put it back.

Leon, you really only need to know a few things about cats. Give them good, quality food. Keep fresh water down, as they do not like standing water. They may even learn to come get drinks from the sink while you're brushing your teeth or shaving or whatever. Keep the litter box clean all the time, because if it repulses them, they will find another spot - obvously a very bad thing. And give them lots of love.

They will play for hours on end with the dot from a laser pointer.

[joseftu]

They sleep about 20 hours a day! And wherever they want. We have one who likes to lie on her back, legs spread, on the warm stones in the back yard. She's obscene!

My daughter's cat sleeps with her every night--often draped right across her neck. I've never seen a kid and a pet so closely bonded. When Julie goes up to bed, Jinx follows. If Julie's a little bit late, Jinx goes up first and just sits on the bed waiting for her. On days when I'm home, and Julie's at school, I know that it's time for Julie to come home because just about 3 PM, Jinx wakes up, stretches, washes, and then goes to sit by the window because she knows Julie comes home at about 3:10.

[Copzilla]

Oh, one more thing. Cats can form bonds with a single person in the family, and may actively seek that person out for particular affection. It won't likely be your youngest daughter, as she will be grabby and not terribly gentle. It will be the person who preens the cat, like a mate might. If the cat is in your lap and you do little things like massage it's head, stroke under the chin, stuff like that, this kitty may bond with you and show you particular love. One of my cats used to crawl on my chest while I was watching TV and nuzzle at my chin, and fall asleep. It was very sweet.

[Copzilla]

My daughter's cat sleeps with her every night--often draped right across her neck. I've never seen a kid and a pet so closely bonded. When Julie goes up to bed, Jinx follows. If Julie's a little bit late, Jinx goes up first and just sits on the bed waiting for her. On days when I'm home, and Julie's at school, I know that it's time for Julie to come home because just about 3 PM, Jinx wakes up, stretches, washes, and then goes to sit by the window because she knows Julie comes home at about 3:10.
Heh, here's such an example. Good on your daughter, Joe, she must be very gentle and kind with Jinx.

[ethics]

Man, I can't wait now. Sounds like this is precisely what I want out of a pet. Forget my daughters! ;)

The little one will be schooled, tutored, and will have access to the kitty only when either myself or my wife is around. It's not because I am an ass of a dad but this is what you do with puppies as well and kids really have very little concept of a little ones. I WILL close the door to their bedrooms when they are sleeping, but will leave mine open.

[tke711]

Ditto on what other said, our cat sleeps where ever she feels like it. Usually, that is right above my wife's head in the bed.

[MNeedham73]

My house right now:

Mongo - asleep next to me on the couch
Abby - asleep behind me on top of the couch
Jackie - asleep on the arm of the couch

I'm surrounded! ;)

[cmhbob]

Leon, that's what we do, with (at one time) 8 kids and 3 cats, now down to 7 and 2.

At the last house, we had a Jack-and-Jill bathroom between 2 bedrooms. We kept one bedroom door closed, but the cats started coming in through the other bedroom and the JJBR, so we had to close both doors. We weren't worried about the kids, but at least a couple times, as the cats curled up with one or two of the kids, the kids woke up frightened.

And the master bath is where their food and litter are.

[Andy]

Don't cats steal your soul when you sleep? :biggrin: