what's up with cats and dogs needing to sleep with us?

[charlie and algernon]

for the most part during the day, Esther is a pretty independent cat and is by far more comfortable when she's an appropriate distance from me. Yet as soon as I get into bed, she's up on the bed and purring by my head within seconds. Is it a pack/pride thing? Those who sleep together survive together? warmth?

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I think it is a pack/pride thing. We're a family, so we share the bed.

[DS1]

2. Don't know, but I like it. They must as well.

[charlie and algernon]

3. yeah, not complaining, it's the one time when she actually does want to cuddle, lol

she actually slept with me the first night I had her, which was completely unexpected. Thought it would at least take a couple days till she grew comfortable.

[lizziegrace]

7. I like it too

Gracie is very independent. Can't pick her up and she won't sleep in my lap, but at night, she sticks to me like a magnet. I love it. :)

[HopeHoops]

4. What I want to know is how a 17.5 lb sheltie can turn into MARMADUKE in bed!

She sleeps in a little ball on the floor, sleeps on a step with no problem - in BED - LEGS OUT! STRETCH TIME!

Add my 18.5 lb cat to the mix and my wife and I might as well be on a twin sized mattress.

[lizziegrace]

5. You have a Sheltie?

I loved my Sheltie. Best dog ever. I lost him about 5 years ago.

[HopeHoops]

11. Yes, she's coming up on 2 years old.

Our other dog is a border collie - coming up on 6 years old.

They make a great team.

[lizziegrace]

14. Never a dull moment at your house

with two herding dogs. :)

[HopeHoops]

19. It is fun to watch them play.

The sheltie is tiny (17.5 lbs is REALLY small) and the border collie is huge (77 lbs, not fat) for a female. The sheltie instigates some shit until the border collie responds and then it looks like she's killing her. She puts her head in her mouth, grabs her throat, pushes her around the floor growling. She's never actually hurt her doing this, but man is the visual realistic!

Outside, the sheltie can run circles around the border collie. The border collie just waits, sprints and bowls her over as she passes by.

One REALLY nice thing about a sheltie is speed. She can go from zero to on a rabbit's tail in a few seconds. I know she could easily catch any of the rabbits, but instead she gets about two feet behind and switches from sprint to a Pepe LePu type pounce sort of run right behind it. After it leaves the yard, she circles back. We have a lot of garden beds so this is a good thing. What's funny is that she grew up with a rabbit and they sleep on the bed together during cuddle time. Outside, she knows they don't belong in the garden.

[lizziegrace]

20. Love the visuals.

You describe it perfectly. :)

Give them both extra hugs for me. I miss my guy.

[Bunny]

6. I have three cats and none of them want anything to do with me.

When they were actually in the room with me, they used my head as a stepping stone to fight over the open window right above. Never mind that there is another open window just across the room. And one night Leo stepped on my phone on the nightstand and it started butt dialing. :eyes: They all get thrown out of the room each night.

My two dogs used to sleep with me and everything was fine until Peanut matured and decided she wasn't going to take any more of Patsy's shit, so they would get into gigantic fights right on top of me in the middle of the night. During the fights Peanut would get scared and poop in the bed, too. More than once I'm changing sheets at 2:00 AM. :mad: They were assholes about it and they also got banished from the room.

Now I sleep by myself and we're all happier.

[charlie and algernon]

10. Once my cat learned my sleep schedule, she's been fine at night

the first couple weeks were a nightmare trying to get a full nights sleep. I had to make sure all her toys with bells were off the floor and out of her reach.

[Richardo]

18. .

What an ordeal - no wonder you punted all of them.

We have one cat that puts her nose to within 6 atoms of the inside of my upper arm when I'm sleeping - I never knew it was so sensitive but it's the most annoying thing possible. She gets booted. The dogs can stay, unless it's a non-stop scratchfest that turns the bed into magic fingers. Then they're banished to the actual dog bed on the floor.

[Bunny]

24. I'm surprised your dogs actually stay in the dog bed.

The only thing that gets through my dogs' thick skulls is a closed door. Sometimes I can hear them downstairs at night, fighting over supremacy on the couch. Asses.

I think it's cute that your cat keeps nosing your arm! :)

[Richardo]

28. Update: After last night all cats are banned

:grr:

American Cat Language (ACL)
"It's 4:15 AM and I want to leave the bedroom right now" = Draw the tip of one claw down a hollow core door for 30 seconds: "screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee". Repeat until ejected from the premises.

[Bunny]

29. Tough Love.

It's the right thing. :thumbsup:

[Richardo]

30. I'm not so sure about the 'Love' part.

But maybe I'm just grumpy from lack of sleep. :hi:

[TZ]

8. Its a warmth and security thing.

My cats really like physical contact. They love to sleep pressed up agaisnt various parts of my body...They also will sleep snuggled up agaisnt each other when I'm not around. I think its reassuring to them...I love it.

[Rob H.]

9. My kitty sleeps so she's touching me

and it has to be bare skin, so I usually have my left arm outside the covers so I can wrap it around her when she jumps up on the bed. If it's cold enough, she'll get under the covers, too--I woke up a few months ago with her laying under the covers with her back against my side and her head up on my left arm as if it was a pillow.

She grooms me, too, so I think she thinks I'm a mostly-furless cat who walks around on his hind legs. :P

[charlie and algernon]

13. that's cool

mine still plays the part of the indie cat, so no actual touching, lol. Except in the morning when it's time for me to wake up and feed her. then she turns into a groomer and cleans my forehead thoroughly.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Little Skeezix comes in after I've turned off the light and, basically, makes sure

I'm okay, tucks me in and stays for about a half hour to an hour then goes to the living room for the night to protect me from fire-breathing dragons. She comes back in around 6am to tell me all about it.

The wonder is, she is a former outdoor cat who is 15.5 years old, blind and mostly deaf, but she somehow has my routine down and is still able to fend off fire-breathing dragons despite her age and handicap.

[Captain Hilts]

12. You're a great, big hot water bottle. Also there is safety in numbers. Cats and dogs know that. nt

[ceile]

16. My fiance's cat does that.

She's terribly mean to me all day (spits, tries to bite me), but once I'm laying down she's all over me. She won't leave my side the whole night.

[pokerfan]

17. she's just waiting for you to stop breathing

[old mark]

21. Dogs will wait till well after you are dead and begin to spoil to start eating -

cats won't wait at all.

(They lick you to see how you will taste.)

Google it and see - I speak the truth!
(At least this time, I swear!)

mark

[JitterbugPerfume]

22. a couple of weeks ago I hurt my back

and I was in bed lying on my stomach, unable to move.

Lilith and Mandu (cats) got on my back and started fighting OUCH


It is a good thing I love them because if I could have moved they would both have been in deep doo doo

[unpossibles]

23. it's a social/pack thing

My pets get pack separation anxiety if they can't sleep with me.

Either that, or it messes with their ability to wake me up early to get fed.

[applegrove]

25. I have two cats. One will cuddle with me all day long. The other will

walk up to me and purr only when I'm lying in bed. I can't get the second one to purr at all during the day.

[travelingtypist]

26. Mine does this.

I've had him for a little over a year, so he's about 8 or so. When I first got him, I work at home and if he was inside, he wanted to be on my lap or on the table or just on me. I finally broke him of that habit - I can not type with an 18-pound cat on my lap - so when it's cold he sleeps on a blanket on the floor. When it's warm, he wants outside right this second, right now, now, now, now. But I do love that the moment, the instant, I lay down to go to sleep, he's on my hip in what seems like milliseconds.

[Lilith Velkor]

27. Warmth.

[crispini]

31. Mine are a LOT more affectionate when it's cold.

When it's cold, they have staked out territory right ON me -- chest, stomach and knees. When it's warm, they have territory staked out on the bed. I think it's warmth and affection too. :)