Do people sleep better with cats or dogs? A recent study looked at people who shared a bed with their pets, and you may be surprised by the results! Although the majority of people claimed sleeping with their pets enhanced the quality of their slumber, the truth is it was negatively impacted! That is, if they slept with a dog. Sleeping with a cat made no difference in sleep quality. Read the full study here.
While that’s great news for people with cats, I’m sure your nightly rest with your kitty could use some improvement. Cats don’t always share the same sleep schedule with their humans. In fact, if left to their own circadian rhythm, it’s quite different. And then there’s the issue of them waking you up to ask for breakfast, or thinking your feet are toys. But with a little bit of effort, and simple training techniques, you can greatly improve your and your cat’s sleep.
Here are some tips so you can sleep even better with your cat
- Have a consistent sleep routine.
Do your best to go to bed and rise at the same time every day. Yes, this includes weekends. Because cats don’t know from weekends. They do, however, understand routines extremely well. In fact, they thrive on routine. If your cat knows that you both go to bed at the same time, and you always wake up at the same time too, that’s what they’ll expect.
- Make before bed playtime or treats part of the routine.
Having playtime before bed helps your cat expend energy, and they’ll be more likely to sleep through the night without getting restless. It doesn’t have to be a long play session. A few minutes of tossing a toy or swinging around an interactive wand toy will suffice. Whatever your cat happens to like. Bedtime treats are also a nice ritual, and a great routine for you and your cat to share.
- Don’t indulge your cat’s bad sleeping habits.
Do they get zoomies in the middle of the night? Beg for breakfast hours before you want to rise? Don’t indulge these habits. You play with them before bedtime to avoid middle-of-the-night restlessness.One thing that really helps when it comes to your early rising cat is to not feed them the moment you get up. Do a bunch of other things first that have nothing to do with your cat — brush your teeth, get your coffee started, morning stretches. If you put space between the time you get up and the time you feed your cat, they won’t associate rising with food, and you can get some peace.
- Make your bed comfortable for the both of you.
Maybe have an extra soft pillow or a nice, squishy cat bed for your cat. And make sure you’re comfortable too. Everyone is different as far as their bed preferences, so make sure yours are taken care of.
- Also make sure to wash your bedding frequently.
This is more for you than for your cat. If your cat had their way, they’d probably rather you never washed the bedding, so it always smelled like them. But you probably don’t want cat fur tickling your nose while you’re trying to drift off. So if your cat sleeps with you every night, or nearly every night, clean the bedding weekly, and make sure the coverings are fur free. If your cat has a special blanket or bed that they sleep on, keep that clean too, so the fur doesn’t migrate to your face.
- Make sure your cat is well groomed and flea-free.
This may not sound like a sleep tip, but think about it. When your cat cuddles up and starts making biscuits on you, if their claws are untrimmed, you’re getting pricked. And who wants to share their bed with fleas? So regular grooming, claw trimming, and any flea treatments, if necessary, will actually help you sleep well at night.
- Make regular vet check ups part of your routine.
This especially goes if your cat is older. Senior cats often develop medical issues that will disturb their — and your — sleep. Keeping track of your cat’s health could possibly delay the type of health issues that will cause this.
Quality sleep is really important for both you and your cat. And I bet there are some areas I’ve listed that you could improve. So give them a try and share sweet dreams with your kitty.
Were you surprised by some of these tips? Let discuss it in the comments!
