Do you find you have a more restless sleep if your animals share the bed?

[ramanth]

My mom saw a report on the news that said people that allow their pets to share the bed at night are more likely to have a restless sleep than those that have their pets sleep in their pet beds or on the floor.

Do you agree?

Lately I've had restless sleeps when Kia is on the bed but I don't mind. I like having her near.

[Former User]

We tried this out with C & K and most of the nights it went fine, but then they decited it was time to start playing around 6:00. And they started running on top of us . We though this might go away and let it continue for a while, but then they started doing all kinds of nasty stuff, and we came to the conclusion that it's better for us all, if they spend their nights in the bathroom. Ever since that, we've all slept better, and they don't wake us up at 6.

[aly]

I don't know if restless is the right way to put it. I do move around a little bit and wake up several times during the night. But I am always content and happy. I would HATE to have the bed all to myself. I love being squished up in a corner with my covers stolen!! I wouldn't have it any other way.

[ramanth]

I guess in my case, if Kia sleeps on the bed with me, I toss and turn and can't seem to get a good nights rest. The next morning I'll wake feeling exhausted.

This happens most of the time but not all the time. And Kia will be sleeping too. It's not the fact that she's up and jumping around and wanting to play.

I don't know... it's strange.

[purrley]

I can't sleep when they are NOT there. When I go out of town and sleep without my furbabies I really have a restless night. As long as they sleep, I sleep. However when the thundering herd of kitties with insomnia comes tramping through the bedroom at 2 in the a.m. - that's another story

[C.C.'s Mom]

I don't agree. Those nights when Cookie sleeps on the bed, are the nights that I sleep so nicely and cosy. When she's in her basket (we're teaching her to sleep there) it's cold where she usually sleeps and this bothers me...

I know that I also sleep better when I know that the cats in bed and not spooking around the house.

[Logan]

I read it as "restful" and said an adamant NO!!! So I should have said "Yes". My sleep is interrupted terribly when a cat sleeps with me, which is every single night of my life, so I can't tell you the last time I had good sleep! The dogs are perfect in bed, but they always sleep with Helen, rarely with me.

While Butter is sleeping, he's fine. He doesn't touch me, but lies beside me. Problem is that he can not sleep through the night, no matter what time he goes to bed. Then he doesn't just get up and leave the room. He finds a book or a magazine to shred for me, and then goes to the window and pulls on the blinds, or climbs in a plant, etc.

Mimi is a great sleeper, but her problem is that she either wants to sleep under your chin or on top of your head. Can't tell you how many times a night I wake up with a nose and mouth full of fur!!!

Bottom line is, I obviously could do something about this if I wanted to!! LOL!! But Mimi has been with me 13 years and not once have I ever banished her from my room!!! And I'm so glad to have Butter even wanting to be near me that I would never ask him to leave either! I just deal with my weird hours, sit up in the middle of the night to watch Butter eat for a few minutes, then put him outside. Usually, an hour later, I am back up,letting him back inside (many times through the bathroom window ) when he is ready to come back in and go to bed!!

[Gio]

Prema always sleepts on my bed. Maya never bothers and with Foxy it depends from his mood. When we first got him he tried but Prema wouldn't have it. My bed has been her safe spot from the minute I got her home. Now she's willing to share it and so Foxy comes more often.

When Prema has been late coming to bed or on the few occasions where she dared ( ) to try to sleep somewhere else I can't get to sleep so I look for her and take her with me. I feel there is something missing if I can't feel her weight at the foot of the bed (and I'm supposed to be a grown woman )

Prema is a true angel at night. She NEVER (or very rarely) wakes me up and she as good as gold. SOmetimes when she is fed up (usually around 6.30) she just jumps off and wanders around. The only time she would wake me it's I've been away and then she only wants to be cuddled for a bit before going back to sleep.

I think you guessed what my vote was

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I, too, cannot sleep when they are not in bed. We have outside cats (neighbors', strays, etc.) that come around at night, and I've woken up once too often to hear cat screaming and yowling because the outside ones antagonize my two inside, and then the inside ones take it out on each other since they can't get at the ones outside. It is unacceptable when this happens, and I find tufts of fur all over the carpet in the morning. So when they are in bed with me, I know they are safe and not attacking each other. Tubby has slept with me for the last 15 years so I wouldn't dream of kicking him out. Peanut will crawl in when we first go to bed, but then when I wake up she is gone so she obviously leaves sometime during the night, but being the dainty little girl, she doesn't bother her mom a bit when she leaves. Tubby sleeps on my left, down by my feet, and Peanut sleeps on my right, by my hips. I've already woken up and been "locked" in where I can't move at all without disturbing them. And I couldn't do that!

[Edwina's Secretary]

My husband and I just spent our entire tax refund on a new king sized bed. Edwina takes up soooo much space and I'm the one squeezed in the middle. My mother suggested Edwina could sleep elsewhere (yeah right....from a woman who wants the odd out bed...but only if it is low enough for her dog to jump on!)

I miss Edwina's weight against me when we are on vacation though. It feels like something is missing (and it is!)

[Randi]

To begin with, I didn't want our cat in the bed at all! (I have not really lived with cats before) my husband has been used to it all his life. Well, but who are we; trying to decide that!! LOL Fister jumps in every single night. He will lay on my husband while watching TV or reading, and if he can, he will prevent him turning the pages or lie on the remote to get some attention, but when I lay down to go to sleep, Fister will come over immediately and make himself very comfortable on half my pillow. I guess he thinks I'm moving too much around before that. Then, when he thinks I've fallen asleep, he starts washing himself but stops when I turn my head. (he knows by now that we don't like him doing it there) He usually stays for about 20 minutes - sometimes even 2-3 hours now! The few times he didn't come, I missed him and couldn't go to sleep I think he spends the rest of the night on the bathroom rug, under our wardrobe or in his own bed - and part of the time looking out of the window.

[kobieeli]

I'd say probably 4-5 nights out of 7 the dogs are really good sleepers and we hardly know they're up on the bed all night. But it's those other 2-3 nights each week that are tough! We can count on Eli's paws kicking us awake when he dreams, or Kobie jumping up barking at 3am (maybe hearing cats visiting the front yard), or the two of them deciding that 5am is a fine time for starting the day....Ugh! But mostly, we love to have their warm little bodies with us.

[anna_66]

Originally posted by ramanth
My mom saw a report on the news that said people that allow their pets to share the bed at night are more likely to have a restless sleep than those that have their pets sleep in their pet beds or on the floor.

Do you agree?

Lately I've had restless sleeps when Kia is on the bed but I don't mind. I like having her near.

Me & my husband used to have 3 poodles sleep in bed with us & one slept under the covers right up against me & it never seemed to bother me or my husband. When they were all gone I really missed having the with me. But with the dogs we have now, no way are they sleeping in the bed with us, even with a king size bed there would be no room!

[zippy-kat]

I've never been able to sleep with the dog(s). I can cuddle with them but when I get ready to sleep, down to the floor they go. (I know, I'm such a meanie!)

The cats are another story! I love sleeping with the puddy tats ( however, 'pudgy tats' would be the more descriptive phrase)!! When my Thomas died, it was soooo lonely not having a furkid next to me. Then came my Max but he was one of those, "let's stare at mom and see how long it takes her to wake up" and/or a "let's bite her toes" kind of cat. Tinker is more of Mom's baby, however, every once in a blue moon, she'll sleep with me. Clarice LOVES to sleep under the covers, curled up next to you. She use to be more "my" cat, now she's more of my sister's baby!

Anywayz, b/c of the fact that Soph is the only animal living w/ me now...I answered YES. I'm always wondering what she's doing, where she's at, what she's into... Once in awhile, we'll take an afternoon nap together but at night, she's zippin' around the room. Nuthin' says "WAKE UP" like a 5lb furry body flinging herself onto your chest at 4:30 in the morning or tickling your bare legs as she burrows down to nip your toes or scratching at the door to the parsley house (refridgerator) or ...or...or!!! Also, I'm a little gun shy b/c one time I took a nap w/ her, only to wake up and find I had bangs LOL

But nevertheless, I usually try to get her to sleep with me on the wkends...(when I can sleep in the next day!!) lol

[sammi]

Hummmm I thought it was strange the cats came in the bathroom window but I guess not! One time when we were staying over at my sister Inlaws I was in the bathroom about 2am and I heard this mewing outside the window! I looked out and could tell this kitty wanted in so I opened the window and let him in. I just hoped it was their cat and it was!