Pet Owners: Do You Sleep Like A Contortionist?
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
June 12, 2007 1:13am CST
I was just listening to a re-broadcast of an Oprah Winfrey show all about sleeping problems and somehow it came up about how many people are often sleep-deprived due to the way they sleep because of allowing their pets to sleep in bed with them...even Oprah mentioned how crammed in bed she is as she allows her two large dogs to sleep with her.
I think so many of us pet owners can relate to this. I have two cats myself and they do love to sleep with me...they are rather the rulers of my bed though...they get to sleep all nice and comfy, while I'm sleeping like a pretzel--don't ask the bad back or leg problems I wake up with..but oh, heaven forbid I move them...they just would give me a nasty look to me
So--do you allow your pets to sleep with you and do you seem to have to accommodate them while you sleep like a pretzel??
17 people like this
41 responses
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Hahahahah Your so right my friend. I wake up in the middle of the night feeling like a pretzel.LOL Only one of my cats will sleep with us. But she is a big cat. I look at her and she is all stretched out and Im in alittle corner of the bed. Whats wrong with this picture?
4 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
What's wrong with this picture you ask? We pet owners are silly that's what--we love them though no matter what
2 people like this
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
12 Jun 07
LOL - have you been watching me sleep? My cat sleeps with me and she is certainly in charge of the bed - she actually hisses at me if I try to move her once she's in a spot. She has never hissed at me any other time. I have a queen sized bed and it's pretty bad when she can't even share that with me - she wants to be right in the middle.
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I think cats are just plain selfish and don't care about anyone else - and they are pushing and bossy too.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I know...why is that?--My cats like to sleep in the middle of the bed too....one of these days I swear I'm going to fall out of bed!! LOL
2 people like this
@texasclassygal (5305)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I used to sleep with my cats and I know exactly what you are saying, my cats are hogs on the bed, the big guy (my aviatar) will actually bite you if you move him, he likes his place on the bed. These days my boyfriend does not like animals in the bedroom so they are free to roam the big house to find another suitable resting place, but sometimes my big guy does find himself resting on my lap as I am trying to work or moving me off the bed when I am working as he is trying to find a good spot to nest, gotta love um.
3 people like this
@texasclassygal (5305)
• United States
12 Jun 07
At 35 pounds, you bet he is ....
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I always admired your avatar....he's a beautiful cat...and I bet the King of the house..right??--LOL
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
35 pounds??? OMG--sure he's a cat??? LOL
3 people like this
@AmbiePam (85680)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Oh yeah. And the sad part is, I keep their comfort ahead of my own. Those stinkers are just too cute. My current dogs don't get to sleep in my bed because it is high and they can't get down. The first time they tried one of them pooped on my bed because he couldn't get down. As a result, I've been making use of my couch. But I plan to take back my bedroom! No matter how much they cry I will not let them in the gate (a barrier so they can't get into my bedroom, but can still see what is going on). OK, if they cry a lot we may have a problem. : )
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Well--we can't have them crying now, can we?? LOL
3 people like this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I have 2 labs...and they both are welcome in bed with us. They total in weight about 160 pounds. Yes, we do make allowances for them when we sleep, but if they are in the way, we will ask them to get down so we can get comfy then invite them back up.
They are very accomodating when we ask them to remove themselves from their Queen size memory foam bed that we share with them. I mean they do keep it from flying up to the ceiling it when we are not using the bed. They spend more time on it then we do, it must be their bed.
To be perfectly honest, one of them does not use the bed in the summer, I think he finds it too warm to be in bed with us and uses the dog bed.
3 people like this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Yes..160 pounds of love and affection. And in the winter, they are the best electric blankets.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Why don't you know?? Of course that is THEIR bed--LOL OMG--160 pounds..Holy moly!!
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I let my cats sleep with me, but they have to accomadate ME! I can't do the pretzel bit and when I roll over, they darn well better get out of the way! The only exception to this is when I have a baby kitten, then I sleep lighter & I'm already a very light sleeper.
Oliver started climbing into my bed when he was only 3 weeks old and slept with me until he was over 6 months. Mostly he slept by my side, tucked up against me, I think to keep warm since he was a fall baby. I did give him a heating pad but he prefered to sleep with me as soon as he could manage it.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Well despite I was Sachiko's mom and had to bottle feed her and so handled her a lot, she actually had a very easy going temper--although years and years ago..this in back in the 1970s so I was still in High school some kids found a kitten and gave it to me (yikes for awhile there I think I was the local pet shelter)..She, Patchouli wasn't quite as young as Sachiko but still had to be bottle-fed--I was very gentle and loving to her, but oh, what a nasty temper she had when she grew up...Goes to show how each animal has their own unique personality I guess
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Awww---Oliver is adorable...Since you posted your Oliver..thought I posted my Sachiko...at about 17 days old...she is no longer with me...in the land of Bast....I took care of her when she was only a few days old and still had her cord attached...some neighborhood kids found her...she had been "discarded" in the garbage by someone....The kids knew I was a cat person and gave the kitten to me...I was mom to Sachiko..and of course bonded with me
2 people like this
@pendragon (3350)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I was always so aware of the cat in my bed and trying not to roll on him that it would actually keep me up a LOT, my gf is allergic to him so he doesnt sleep with us now, so the dog decides that I have no clue what i should do with all that leg room but give it to her,LOL, so i do, it's not half as bad though, she and I are adjustable.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Jun 07
Hehehe--so your dog doesn't want you to feel bad with all the "extra" room and makes up for it--right?--hehhe
1 person likes this
@brendalee (6082)
• United States
12 Jun 07
As much as I would like them to sleep with me, my dogs are not allowed in the bedroom. There are five of them and they are rather big dogs. They can't even sleep on the floor next to the bed because there isn't enough room there either.lol. Now with the cats, thats another story. We try to keep them out of the bedroom because they have a nasty habit of thinking my bed is their litter box. But the little darlings have figured out a way to get in there. The problem I have with sleeping is that they like to get on me and knead or they think they have to rub up against my face. Luckily only three of them have figured out how to get in there.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
LOL--oh, yes, I remember how big all your dogs are--if you did allow them to sleep with you you would need a really incredibly large bed--hehhe--
1 person likes this
@sigma77 (5383)
• United States
12 Jun 07
My small 7 pound cat gives me dificulties moving around in bed. I can't imagine a large dog or even 2. I have to constantly be careful how I move or turn while sleeping. Sometimes, while half awake, I make a sudden move with my legs and accidently kick the cat. I kind of want her to sleep with me so that she feels like she is getting attention. I am a pretzel accomodater for sure. But that is life, living with a cat.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Oh, my goodness..don't you know that you're not allowed to move in bed when one's pet is sleeping...that's against the rules you know....LOL
2 people like this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Sometimes my cat sleeps with me, but she's gotten in the habit of sleeping in a chair or something and then going about her business while I'm sleeping or opting to sleep on her window perch. Sometimes she still lays with me, but she decides to sleep on me usually. If that is the case, I move her up by my head and she either goes to sleep or leaves. She can get rather angry if I decide to move her, but I'd rather be comfortable than not at all.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Oh yes our babies can get real annoyed if we move them...LOL--but unlike you I don't...I've just gotten too use to having my pets with me on my bed
2 people like this
@66jerseygirl (3877)
• United States
12 Jun 07
My Moose hasn't been sleeping with me lately for some reason but when he did,oh my goodness! He would be sound asleep and I am wide awake cause my legs or feet are out of shape cause of his majesty.I used to wake up with the worst cramps,lol
@66jerseygirl (3877)
• United States
15 Jun 07
i've been there too. does it matter to these critters how much they are making their parent(s) uncomfortable,lol?of course not. i love'em anyway
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Not only cramps in my legs, my legs will actually go numb at times!
3 people like this
@gardengrrl (1445)
• United States
12 Jun 07
LOL...pye, sugar, this is why the Goddess invented California King-size beds!
Life would be impossible without the big bed. It's just too nice to wake up and spend the first few minutes of the day with my fingers buried in warm, soft fur, some of it purring, and some of it laying belly-up, wagging their tails. Keeps the heating bills lower in winter, but I have to kick the AC at night in summer to combat all that body heat!
I wake up fairly contorted. I can't fall asleep that way, so they all know to wait until I've dozed off before they move in.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
That's exactly what my two cats usually do--they wait until I'm comfy in bed and then hop up and settled themselves in..and then I can't move --period!--and I know what you mean...I never need a comforter during winter as my cats keep me nice and warm
2 people like this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
12 Jun 07
mine for the most part understand the my side/your side thing..they only pigpile in winter.if they hem me in,i'll pick up the blanket around them and shift them over.
the youngest has to be reminded sometimes though..
he likes to play the look how long i can make myself game.
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
14 Jun 07
they were curled up this morning-no squabbles for once.lil' men were cold LOL
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Fascinating how our babies will stare us down..like how dare you even think of moving me--
3 people like this
@hecate_witch (76)
• United States
12 Jun 07
LMFAO! you are too funny pyewacket!LMAO! i dont have no kind of pets like that though,but even if i did,i would make darn sure that they dont sleep in my bed!lmfao it seems that alot of ppl do have the guts to let their pets sleep in bed with them,and than that makes the pet spoiled!lol
but myself,nope.i dont think i'd let em sleep in bed.i'd put them in the bathroom first though or back in the dining room and shut my bedroom door so they couldn't get in.if they got mad so be it!
thanks for sharing this pyewacket!you're too funny!
Hecate)O(
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Well I have to admit, my two cats are very highly spoiled...especially my Pyewacket who is the real boss of the house, he doesn't let me forget that!! LOL
2 people like this
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I have the same problem, I can only have as much room as my pets let me to....but I love them...:)
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I love my two babies too...couldn't be without them
2 people like this
@beyonce03 (2331)
• Canada
13 Jun 07
My little baby cat (he's 3 years old lol) sleeps with me all the time. He takes all the place in the bed. I'M always squeeze between him and my boyfriend. And sometimes, when my boyfriend is not there, my other cat come sleeps with me.
I don't sleep like a pretzel because my cats come sleeps near me.
They only thing is that sometimes he decide that he sleeps on my arm. I wake up the morning, not feeling it lol
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Jun 07
Oh--I've had numb arms too from one of my cats sleeping on them too..
1 person likes this
@cipher2004 (1183)
• United States
13 Jun 07
I have a rather large dalmation pitbull mix,2 kiitens and my husband and me in the bed at night.The dog is either doing a spoon with me or betwwen my legs.When I turn I have to pull on leg out,turn take the other leg out then place them back around him.The kittens keep swithing sides to be under my face.When the runt wakes up she starts nursing on my arm and kneeding dough with her paws.As for my husband he has to be touching me in some way also.I am very cramped in my bed.But when I went away for a few days I could not sleep.I wanted my animals next to me.So I just can't win.Yes,I live in the wild kingdom at night.But I love them all and don't mind being a pretzel.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Jun 07
I've had pets all my life so can't even imagine sleeping without my pets...and that's a good one...that you live in the wild kingdom at night--LOL
2 people like this
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Yes Sammie my Avitar picture she sleeps on my head or at my ear and Abigail my other cat sleeps on me else where. If I move Abigail attacks my feet. At times she has made hamberger out of the tops of my feet from scratching and biting them at night. I love them and know better than to let them sleep with me but I do. I use to be the supervisor of a sleep lab. I use to give sleep awareness classes and that was one of the things I taught was do not sleep with a pet. I do not practice what I preached.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Sammie looks like a beautiful cat..reminds me of many I've had in the past...I used to have a cat that slept on my head too..and she'd wake me up by biting my cheek, like as if to say, "Okay, I'm ready for my breakfast"
I sleep usually on my stomach, and my one cat, Pyewacket likes to sprawl himself on top of my back...needless to say I can't move...and heaven forbid I disturb him
2 people like this
@raychill (6525)
• United States
12 Jun 07
Luckily my kitty mostly sleeps on the pillow next to me in bed so I can do what I want otherwise. My ex's cat used to intertwine in our legs and that wasn't too fine, but we still slept pretty good.
i'd never move my kitty to sleep more comfortably...who cares about my comfort right? It's all about your pets comfort. maybe that's why fish and birds are better pets?
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Jun 07
Well not to start an argument...that is with fish owners..but you can't really cuddle up with a fish...uh..unless you're weird...LOL--I actually did have birds too at one time, but it's not the same thing...No, I don't mind the discomfort at all with having my babies sleep with me
1 person likes this
@FSCAries (881)
• United States
12 Jun 07
I let my boston terrier sleep with me, and though he's a little dog, it does get interesting sometimes. He likes to sleep snuggled up right next to you, and if you happen to role over in your sleep he will just keep inching over. At times I wake up finding myself clinging to the edge of my bed!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
13 Jun 07
LOL--oh that's funny...have you ever fallen out of bed yet??
1 person likes this
