# I don't like my new cat sleeping on my bed with me



## Jessw (Mar 2, 2015)

I just got a 6 month old cat last night...he's really cute but he is a human bed sleeper. Last night I had a hard time staying comfortable because he was sprawled out on my bed and I had no room to stretch my legs. I also move a lot when I am going to sleep so I know this will not work for me.

I made him a little cozy bed in my closet but he won't sit on it. How can I train him to sleep in his own bed?


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## Erenya (Jul 22, 2014)

Quite simply - close the bedroom door. Your new cat may moan and cry for a little while, but don't give in and they will soon learn.

I cannot imagine that you will ever stop your cat sleeping on your bed if you let them into your bedroom. even if they start in their cat bed, I will bed money that they'll move to your bed at some point during the night.

Personally I like my two sleeping on my bed, keeps your feet warm


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## Jesthar (May 16, 2011)

Hi Jess, and welcome to PF 

Personally, I'd feel rather honoured if a cat wanted to sleep alongside me the very first night it came home, it means he trusts you a great deal already 

You've only had one night together so far, so unless you are determined to break his on-the-bed habit, why not persevere a bit first? If one of my two are where I want my legs to be, I have no qualms about pushing my legs gently but firmly down the bed anyway (the cats move!), or removing them before I get in to bed.

If you do want to have him in your room but keep him off the bed, then you either need to shut him out of your room 24/7, or be prepared to spend some very long nights gently picking him up and putting him on the floor/in his own bed every single time he jumps up. To be honest, though, your chance of success is slim!

What you must NOT do is shout, smack, spray with water etc. - he won't understand why you are doing it and he'll start to associate YOU, not being on the bed, with bad things.

Again speaking personally, it took me a while to get used to having a cat on my bed when I got my first rehome, but now there's nothing better than waking up to find both cats snuggled up with me - and mine is just a single bed!


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## JaimeandBree (Jan 28, 2014)

I love having the cats on the bed with me, but if you do want to stop it I think the only way to do it is to shut him out. I chuck J&B out sometimes if they are misbehaving, such as 5am yesterday when I was woken up because they were wrestling with each other on top of me...


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## Little Zooey (Feb 4, 2014)

You have been given a very great honour. Kittens clump together for warmth and safety when their mother is away. We always have at least five sleeping on (or in) our bed with us. It's their way of saying we are part of their family. Your new kitten is probably a little scared in his new home and is looking to you to keep him safe. If you really can't adapt, then give him plenty of attention at other times, but GENTLY keep him shut out of the bedroom


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

Jesthar said:


> Personally, I'd feel rather honoured if a cat wanted to sleep alongside me the very first night it came home, it means he trusts you a great deal already


This! My first thoughts were "wow, so much trust so soon" I think you are indeed honoured.

I only have one, occasionally two of mine in my bedroom at night but thats because Jasper is very possessive of me especially in my room. I have extreme restless leg syndrome so they pretty soon learn not to sleep up the foot end of the bed. Jasper sleeps on a pillow beside my head, Floss, when she does sleep with me will curl up by my chest.


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## Snowdog (Mar 3, 2015)

If you stretch legs out anyway then he would move


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## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

Even if you do fidget the cat will move, you'll get used to it, if you don't like it then shut the door, they like warmth and we're like a giant hot water bottle to a cat! I get squidged out of my bed sometimes and wake up with a tiny scrap of duvet, the 14 or so moggies squidged onto my bed seem to have a knack of moving me off the edge!


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## Colith (Mar 3, 2015)

Welcome! Just keep your bedroom door closed. I love my cats sleeping with me. I see it as a great honor. It means that they trust me. If you dont want to keep your bedroom door closed, then keep moving around in the bed and it will eventually bother your cat enough to where he will leave. Cats dont like being disturbed a lot when they sleep.


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

I don't think I could sleep if I didn't have my cats in bed with me. I love waking up in the morning and find them all snuggled up to me. However, if you don't like it, just shut the bedroom door.


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## Colith (Mar 3, 2015)

I have to have at least one cat on my bed at all times!


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## Colith (Mar 3, 2015)

The one that is usually in bed with me is Esparanza.  Bridget (American Shorthair) is usually in bed with me, too.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

My cat sleeps on the bed and that's exactly where he will stay.


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## Colith (Mar 3, 2015)

I couldn't agree more! I love having Esparanza and Bridget in bed with me.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Erenya said:


> Quite simply - close the bedroom door. Your new cat may moan and cry for a little while, but don't give in and they will soon learn.
> 
> I cannot imagine that you will ever stop your cat sleeping on your bed if you let them into your bedroom. even if they start in their cat bed, I will bed money that they'll move to your bed at some point during the night.
> 
> Personally I like my two sleeping on my bed, keeps your feet warm


When it's really cold, I positively encourage mine...I often have one on each corner...love to hear them purr!!


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Mine always did until she started going hunting in the night and bringing back live mice and birds I wasn't at all grateful !


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Jessw said:


> I just got a 6 month old cat last night...he's really cute but he is a human bed sleeper. Last night I had a hard time staying comfortable because he was sprawled out on my bed and I had no room to stretch my legs. I also move a lot when I am going to sleep so I know this will not work for me.
> 
> I made him a little cozy bed in my closet but he won't sit on it. How can I train him to sleep in his own bed?


My cats sleep in (yes in, not on) my bed with me but I realise not everyone likes their cats to share their beds 
What is your cats background? If he is used to cuddling up to other siblings / cats he will feel lonely on his own.
If you have a nice cat bed for him have you tried a warm hot water bottle under the bed and a teddy a similar size to cuddle up to?


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## The Wild Bunch (Jul 16, 2014)

Wish mine would sleep in or on the bed........ oh to be so fortunate *sigh*


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## Britt (May 18, 2014)

Snowdog said:


> If you stretch legs out anyway then he would move


That's what Pooh does. As long as I don't move, he stays on the bed. If I move or get up to go to the bathroom, he leaves and usually finishes the night in his own IKEA bed.


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

At least two of mine sleep in the bed, the other four sleep on the bed. We always know when the two who sleep in the bed are making their way under the covers, because we can feel them head-butting their way down to the bottom of the bed until their fur brushes against our feet.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

My cat was generally shut out of the bedroom as I was allergic to her so I slept better without a blocked nose. It did take patience to not react at all when she miaowed and scratched to get in to the bedroom when i first shut her out but after a while she became used to the arrangement.

Providing a comfy warm radiator bed for her to snuggle in encouraged her so be cosy elsewhere. In her later years she was allowed in the bedroom and would lie on the rug at the foot of the bed (over the warm radiator pipes) quite happily which suited us both.

If you would rather your cat did not sleep with you it is probably better to keep him out of the bedroom right from the start before your cat becomes used to the arrangement and provide a comfy spot somewhere else.


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## CanIgoHome (Oct 25, 2008)

I have to have a cat or 2 on the bed with me or I find it hard to sleep so I hate going away for a night or 2 I miss the cats on my feet


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## Ely01 (May 14, 2014)

Oleg sleeps on my bed most nights (at least since he discovered at the beginning of the winter that this was the warmest spot in the flat at night!), I don't mind it. I don't move too much at night and ok, Oleg prevents me from moving freely, but well I just found super gymnastic ways of changing position without disturbing him. Sad I know 

I understand tho if you don't like it then you might want to keep him out of the bedroom, he'll find himself a nice place to sleep.

When Oleg arrived as a 9 week kitten he would try and chew my hair at night, I just couldn't stand it. Even if I became aware that meant he took me as his mum, and was his way of asking for food, but still it used to annoy me so much. I slept with a woolly hat on for a few weeks and he grew out of it. Found other ways of begging for food


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## witchyone (Dec 16, 2011)

I love having my girls sleep on my bed with me, I find it very comforting and the sound of gentle purring helps me nod off.


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## sharonchilds (Jul 7, 2011)

I too loved having my cats sleep on the bed...Untill i woke one night to find Joey squatting on me having a pee


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## sfocata (Nov 11, 2008)

With the recent return to cooler weather, we've now had all three sleeping on the bed (with two humans) for the past week. 

Not sure why you'd get a cat if you had some kind of aversion to contorted sleeping, puke on your chair or dead frogs between your toes?


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## Waterlily (Apr 18, 2010)

I used to have my girls sleep with me, but Georgia decided to use my bed to wash her arse constantly and bite her nails and leave them all over the place. So now I just simply shut the door.. works a treat


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## shortandfurry (Jan 30, 2013)

sfocata said:


> With the recent return to cooler weather, we've now had all three sleeping on the bed (with two humans) for the past week.
> 
> *Not sure why you'd get a cat if you had some kind of aversion to contorted sleeping, puke on your chair or dead frogs between your toes?*


lol 

If you really don't want your cat to sleep on your bed, just shut them out of the room (and provide a warm comfy spot elsewhere)

Since Jasmine had her accident she's been sleeping on the bed with us pretty much all night, every night. Previously she'd come up for a cuddle but wouldn't spend the whole night on our bed, she'd go up to her round cat bed on the chest of drawers. Now I've got to be quick to get in bed and get the covers before she flomps onto my chest and demands fuss  it's as if she's become a bit insecure and wants more love & reassurance.


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## sskmick (Feb 4, 2008)

Previous cats slept downstairs in the room, door shut, simples. This lot will not settle in a separate room, they cry, scratch and initially attempted to open the door until eventually they succeeded. I was constantly re-decorating.

We tried allowing them access to the whole house, we got no sleep - it was like sleeping next to an outboard motor x3. At silly o'clock they would dive bomb from the top of the bedroom fitments onto the bed. They decided when it was morning and cried for attention. I didn't have an option I bought the largest dog crate available got a covered mattress to fit got three donut cat beds, corner litter tray attached water and food bowls. We never hear a peep until one of us gets up which is usually around 5:00am.

They are so used to their bed we often find one or more simply chilling out in there during the day, and when we say the word bed they all take themselves straight into their bed. I do tend to give them a night cap, like a cat stick treat broken into 3 pieces, so they have eaten it before I leave them.


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## Britt (May 18, 2014)

I often get up with back pain because Pooh sleeps on the bed all the time and takes a lot of space lol. You'll get used to it.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

my girl comes for a cuddle and a fuss when I first get into bed but when its lights out she usually moves to the end of the bed. I have got a king size bed so I usually find her on the end of the bed or on my left next to the pillow in the morning so she has her own space and doesn't get disturbed by me.
However if you don't want your cat on the bed only thing I can suggest is close the bedroom door or if the scratching gets too much, shut the cat downstairs.


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## Citrineblue (Sep 28, 2012)

sfocata said:


> With the recent return to cooler weather, we've now had all three sleeping on the bed (with two humans) for the past week.
> 
> Not sure why you'd get a cat if you had some kind of aversion to contorted sleeping, puke on your chair or dead frogs between your toes?


Dead frog between your toes  been there , done that...... Just as you get out of bed and put your feet down... A lovely pressy..... Uggghhhhh, glad I'm not the only one.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

April didn't come to bed with me last night as she is not happy about our new addition


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Cookieandme - poor April!  I thought there was a chance she might not take the arrival too well. Even though Ike is a lovely boy with a very sweet nature it is still a good idea to continue to give him some time apart (separated) from the girls for a set period each day for quite a while, so April doesn't lose self confidence and feel she is being pushed out.


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## Fonx (Mar 9, 2015)

I wanted our cats to come and share our bedroom but they like to play what I call "bed shark" in which they will get under the covers and curl up in the most likely place to get squashed. Besides, I don't really like waking up at 4am to find a furry shark swimming up between my legs. Or when they are being playful and wanting to run around under the covers using us as fun things to hide and pounce behind. 

I got them to learn that sleeping on this blanket was a good thing. So if I place this blanket down they tend to sleep on that quite often. But the moment we lay our heads down... bed sharks. 

When we first got Tali she decided the back of my neck was a great place to sleep, either that or my face. 

So we've given up. If they'd just sleep on their bloody cat bed which is a basket on top of a scratching post - so off the floor then it'd be ok!! I got them all these nice cat beds and igloos thinking stupidly they'd like to hide away in these things or sleep there. No. What's better than getting in under the covers with a human being? Nothing evidently so we kicked them out and closed the door. 

Now they sleep on my Ikea "Gregor" desk chair in the library either that or the rocking chair. Not the flaming cat beds. :Banghead


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