I’ve had one of my cats, Biddy, for almost 16 years now, and Walter for around 10 years. I was single for a good chunk of that time, and I always let the cats roam free at night, with them often choosing different positions on the bed.
But when Megan and I moved in together 3+ years ago, we quickly realized that Biddy wasn’t working as a sleepmate as much as in the past. I’m not sure what changed, but he would frequently stomp around the bed, and he would typically decide to wake everyone up for food as early as 5:00 am. Also, there were rare occasions when Biddy and Walter would tussle in the wee hours of the morning, which wasn’t good for anyone.
So we decided to let Walter sleep in the bedroom with us and Biddy down the hall in my office (where the litter box, food, and water) is. That’s been our nighttime arrangement for 3 years.
Then, a little over a month ago, Biddy had 15 teeth removed at the vet. He’s recovered incredibly well, but it was one of those tangible reminders that he’s getting old. He’s diabetic, he’s arthritic, and his 16th birthday is just a few months away. He’s my old boy.
After the dental surgery, when it came time to tuck him in at night, he was much more resistant to leaving the comfort of the bed. So Megan was very kind to let him stay. Within a few days, Biddy had formed a new nighttime habit: As soon as the lights go out (and sometimes even earlier, as shown in the photo), he settles into the spot between our two pillows and goes to sleep.
There he remains until he gets squirmy, at which point I wake up–often at 2:00, 3:00, or 4:00 am–and take him down the hall to the office. But there are quite a few nights that he’s there until he and Walter wake me up around 6:30 or 7:00.
I really can’t express how much this means to me (and I get the sense that Biddy values it too). Biddy’s been my boy for so long, and I don’t take a single day with him for granted. Thank you, Megan!
Where do your pets sleep? Has it changed over time?
The family that had Winston prior to rehoming him with me had him sleeping in his crate. Well that dog had me pegged and within a few days of living with me, he was no longer in his crate a night. Typically he starts the night in his bed with his head on the windowsill but within a few hours joins me in bed.
That’s adorable, Julie. 🙂
My first cat slept on my bed; my first dog slept on my bed. Prior to meeting my husband, I slept with four large dogs on my bed. Then I lost them all in an 18-month period (two to old age, one to renal failure; one to cancer). I missed the dogs, but not the dog hair – so I adopted a standard poodle who’d been rescued from some crack house somewhere. He was catatonic the first three weeks I had him, and he had a head tilt from an incredibly deep ear infection. Once he sat in front of me and put his paw on my knee, I knew we were getting somewhere. I put him up on the bed with me, and he trembled and trembled. Well, I didn’t want to torture him just so I have a dog to snuggle! A few weeks later, I put him up there with me again and massaged him to sleep. He was freely
jumping on and off the bed going forward. However, he was never a snuggler. He’d stay with me when I was petting him and would move away as soon as I stopped. OK we’ll just take it as a win.
When my hubs moved in, he was not interested in having a dog on the bed. Since the poodle was skinny, we decided he could sleep on my side. That morphed into him sleeping between us for most of the night. That worked into him sleeping on his dog bed with his head on the floor. HAHA what a dorky dog sleeping with his head on the floor, right? Turns out he had laryngeal paralysis, which meant his trachea would sometimes stay open. He was compensating by letting his head hang over so saliva couldn’t get into his lungs in his sleep!
Then we adopted a shih tzu. Hubs thought he was going to place the dog on the foot of the bed and have him stay there. HAHA no. The first time the little turd was set on the bed, he walked straight up to Hubs’ pillow and plopped down in the middle of it. Then he turned into a snarling little shit when Hubs went to get him off of there. It evolved into the little dog eventually just sleeping between us at about butt level.
We’ve been dogless for a year now except for our foster dogs who sleep in crates in the living room. We’ll get another one eventually – a nonshed – and I hope that dog will sleep on the bed. We’ll see how it goes.
That’s a smart poodle to know about his own laryngeal paralysis!
Jamey,
A very interesting topic that I empathise with.
Here we love our pets so much and also share our bed with them.
When we got Teddy 4 years ago ( border terrier) , I knew I wanted him to sleep on the bed with us but for many months he would either go and sleep in his puppy cage or on the bedroom floor.
Ted then chose different beds in the house to cuddle up in. The kids all wanted him, but Ted made the choice and it was rarely Donna and myself he chose .
Now for at least 18 months or so, it is only our bed he chooses, he will never pick another ( no one knows why). I only have to say to Donna “ I think it’s time for bed” and he’s off the settee and stood next to the door, ready to go up. By time we are finished in the bathroom, he is snug at the bottom of the bed.
Some times Ted will come right up to us, give a face lick and go back down to his spot. I think he is kissing us good night.
One drawback is in the cold weather , he can take quilt away from your side by quashing it into his nest area!
Eric ( tortoise ) , we have had around 16 years and he just does his own thing. No one is ever really sure where he is at this time of year but chances are he is under one of the lounge settees, back of the kitchen fridge freezer or rear of my computer.
In warmer weather he just makes an appearance and will suddenly walk across the lounge while we are watching a film!.
There is a new kid on the block – a female! , her name is “jinx” and she is a tabby kitten, Kates Christmas present. Kate has wanted a cat for a long time and this year she has her wish .
Jinx is an adorable little terrorist and is simply a whirlwind in the house. Teddy’s reaction has been mixed but he’s easing into having this tornado of fluff in his domain . Ted has stopped licking his lips every time he see’s jinx , so that is progress. ( he would only ever do that when he saw food, so it was disconcerting).
Jinx sleeps at night on Kates bed but we often hear items being knocked about in the middle of the night on Kate’s wood floor.
I love our pets as part of our family and it’s clear you do Jamey, so good of Megan to adapt and agree to Biddy being in the bed again, May he have a good few years as part of your family yet.
I like how Teddy knows the words for bedtime. 🙂 It’s interesting that Eric doesn’t have a set pattern like the Teddy and Jinx.
I loved reading this! Your cats are so loved! We had indoor cats years ago & all 3 slept in our bed. One liked to sleep around my neck lol We also had an 80 lbs lab that slept vertically across our king-size bed. Fast forward many years and we finally were ready to get a dog again. We have rescue outdoor cats now that we don’t live in Chicago. We had gotten used to having our bed to ourselves. Our dog ends up liking the pet bed on the floor…then, we just recently got him a friend & that dog wants to cuddle! So nice, but it’s a big change! We have our 4-legged friends for too short of time, so my husband and I are okay with it…but, maybe when they aren’t puppies we’ll open up the kids’ bedrooms to give ourselves a break! I’m s glad your partner is understanding and that you appreciate that understanding!
Thanks Joy! 3 cats in one bed is quite a lot, and I can only imagine adding an 80-lb lab to the mix. 🙂