Average Jane Gets Crowded Out

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When my sister posted this photo of my niece asleep with her favorite cat, Hutch, wrapped around her head, it made me realize I had a post in the making about the various pets that are always competing with me with for bed space.

In general, I have no objection to sharing my bed with any of the other beings in the household. Well, my husband does snore more than I'd like…

Anyway, that can mean as many as three cats and a dog jockeying for space on a queen-sized bed with me and sometimes my husband as well, depending on his sleep schedule. Fortunately there's never a fourth cat in that equation. Xena and Trillian take turns because they can't stand the sight of one another.

Toby is always the first to join me. He curls into a compact ball and presses himself against me. If I'm lucky, he keeps his back to me. Otherwise, I get his feet poking me at random intervals when he stretches in his sleep. Either way, he tends to cause me to move closer to the edge of the bed than I'd prefer.

Xena likes to cuddle. She especially loves to settle her great bulk into my husband's armpit and drape herself onto his shoulder, but she'll accept me as a substitute if he's not available. It's kind of nice to be able to hug her while I'm sleeping, but she's awfully warm. She also likes to get under the covers near our feet, which is where she was when I woke up today.

Velvet usually lingers around my head – all the better for licking my hair when she gets the urge. I wish she wouldn't.

Dr. Jones spends all day sacked out on the bed by himself, so he doesn't seem to feel as compelled to lie there when we're there. Still, he'll occasionally come up and settle himself on my chest.

Trillian is an even rarer visitor, but she'll go right for your chest as well. She really prefers to interact with people who are sitting up, though, because she likes to be held and snuggled.

So that's why I have dark circles under my eyes every day. Just kidding! That's genetic.

No, the pets are really fine most of the time. I'm sure I'd sleep somewhat more restfully without them, but I'd miss them. Every time I stay in a hotel room, I wish I had at least one cat to keep me company.

How about you? Do you allow pets on the bed at your house or keep them somewhere else while you sleep?

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7 responses to “Average Jane Gets Crowded Out”

October 26, 2011

Queen of Quirky

I go to bed before Mr. Q, so Gertie gets in bed with me until he comes to bed. Then he tells her to go to her bed on the floor. After I get up in the morning, Gertie is welcome back in the bed. So essentially she knows that she’s allowed in the bed if only one person is sleeping. We make exceptions for special snuggle times on Saturday or Sunday mornings.

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October 26, 2011

Melanie

we only have one dog, and we used to share a bed with her, but if we so much as rolled over she would give a little grumpy noise and hop off the bed, so I bought her an oversized doggie bed and put it next to our nightstand and now she happily sleeps there every night with no grumpy noises!

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October 26, 2011

jenny

that picture? Could have been me as a kid. I had a cat that slept that way, too. And he’d knead my head and purr until we were both out. Of course, my doctor says sleeping with a cat in my face is probably the reason that now I’m allergic to cats, because I certainly wasn’t as a child. Sucks.

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October 26, 2011

Faith

We started out with our dogs in crates when we first had them, but moved them to the bed over time, and now we’re all happy together when we sleep at night. (Had to move up to a king size bed, though. ;))
When a puppy is curled up against my back on a cold morning, it makes it SO HARD to get out of bed! And I must admit, I’ve called in “sick” to the trainer more than once at 4:30 a.m. because I just couldn’t bear to part from the warmth of the curled up Jake Jake.

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October 26, 2011

marnie whelan

What do you mean, “allow?” I don’t allow cats on our placemats – have given up the battle for the dining room table, where they like to sit and lord it over the two dogs.
Bed is a circus. It’s where the cats sleep all day, but Moose the temporary Pomeranian considers it his sacred duty to be whereever I am. so when I go to bed he is instantly there. (The other dog who is smelly and bad tempered – snaps at you when you move- is not allowed on the bed, but sleeps at my husband’s side in her own bed, growling occasionally when she hears something outside) Bal the more dominant cat likes to jump up and knead my back just after I fall asleep. This makes Moose nervous, so he tries to get closer to me without getting in range of the cat, which is tricky. The other cat wil sometimes quietly curl up to sleep at my feet, but often he just gives up and sleeps on the radiator. We do have a king-size bed. Which I recommend.

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October 27, 2011

Keith

When I had my old bad tempered ginger Tomcat Whiskey, whenever the weather turned cold, I would often wake to find a lump in the bed that wasn’t me, little sod would sneak under the duvet

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October 28, 2011

Laura

I *love* this picture.
We have two dogs and one cat. Generally, the dogs sleep in their individual crates and the cat sleeps in the living room. I used to let my cat sleep with me but she makes me a little sick (I’m allergic) and she also constantly paws at the door around 5 am to get out and eat. What a piglet!

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