Do you think cats and small dogs are in danger of suffocating when sleeping up on their owners' beds?
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longgone (
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December 19th, 2014
Wording that was hard.
I thought of that today. Babies are not supposed to sleep next to their parents due to suffocation being a danger, right? Sure, they are less mobile – but would a five-pound-dog stand a chance against a heavy duvet and a human?
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31 Answers
Outside the covers, where most(not all, I know) pets slept, it is unlikely, especially for adult animals.
Inside the covers, puppies and kittens are at greater risk, as they (like babies in general) sleep harder than adult pets.
@longgone: “Babies are not supposed to sleep next to their parents due to suffocation being a danger, right?”
Unless you’re an alcoholic, morbidly obese, or have some other physical ailment, this is complete nonsense. Co-sleeping is amazing and healthy. It’s all the other stuff that makes warnings against it necessary (or so people think). Co-slept with all 3 of my kids.
It’s perfectly fine to have a dog in a bed. And cats are terrifying. That’s like sleeping with a pile of knives.
I am still in bed, under the covers. About 24” away, curled up tight on an old maroon cashmere sweater that I forgot to put away is Milo. I wouldn’t dream of trying to locate him, unless I were wearing chain mail and leather gauntlets.
He sleeps on my bed every night, sometimes pressed so tightly to my thigh or calf that I cannot roll over. It’s my safety you should be worried about.
MIlo weights over 13.5 lbs.
@canidmajor Good point about pets usually not sleeping under the covers.
@hominid Thank you for clearing that up. I know there was a lot of debate over this, but I haven’t been paying attention during recent years – no babies in my family, at the moment. I wonder whether your criteria should be expanded to include me, though. I sleep like a drunk octupus, arms and legs flailing. I agree that co-sleeping is healthy, but I would definitely worry about hitting my kid!
@gailcalled Sounds like an abusive relationship. Get out while you can! ~
Too late. I seem to have an electronic gadget on my ankle.
My answer is simple. Pets do not belong on beds. End of subject.
^ What a bleak life you must lead, without those dogs to suffocate.
The Canine Liberation Organization (CLO) gave me their caninitarian award last week.
Our cat sleeps on the bed and we have never had an issue,only when she wants to sleep on top of Mrs Squeeky preventing her from rolling and hurting her back.
Certainly! That, and you run the risk of having them suck on your ear lobe if they were weaned too early, too. What a strange sensation to wake up to!
Depends on how big the owners arse cleavage is.
My little female tortie point siamese loves to sleep under the covers with me and I often cover her up with her favorite fuzzy blanket on top of my bed too.
She has never had an issue and adores her cozy kitty cave. She falls into such a deep and sound sleep that she will moan and snore. haha
My huge (22lb.) male Ragdoll gets waaay too hot and he sleeps on the cat tree or on a wicker trunk at the foot of my bed on a quilt.
I really don’t think the animals safety is in jeopardy sleeping in it’s owners bed, if the owner doesn’t want the animal sleeping with them that is another story,but for the animal actually being in danger of being crushed or suffocated I just don’t see it, and I have never heard of it happening to anyone.
Our Cats try to take their share of the bed out of the middle. Occasionally when they were younger they might wander under the covers. But my carbon footprint exhaust fumes drove them out, for good. They stay safely on the top of the covers on Mommy’s side. Usually they like to pin her so that I get a good amount of room on my side. Heh heh heh.
If anything when I am sandwiched between my two, especially the monster cat “Myles”, I end up waking up stiff because I can’t move for hours. Frozen in place by the flankers. lol
<——-Take a quick gander at the monster I sleep with here before I return to my Xmas light avatar. Mr. 2 tons of fun AKA “The monster man” and “Catundra.” He is 22 lbs. and she is 7–8. Guess who the boss is? Princess pussy of course. LOL
The difference between a cat and baby, when it comes to co-sleeping, is that the baby is weak and the cat is strong. I would bet that if you rolled over onto a cat (which would not be too easy to do, by the way, unless it were a tiny kitten) the cat would struggle, scratch, kick and wrestle its way out of the way. A baby doesn’t have that kind of strength.
I think an animal has an instinct for survival and knows when it is in danger. We have had 3 kittens and they all slept on top of the bedding. None suffocated. The large 17 lb. lynx point Siamese that we have now, sleeps with us and he seems to be the one doing the suffocating. :) Once, he has settled in, he will not move unless picked up. He usually sleeps at our feet.
Way my dog sleeps and spreads out, I AM in danger of suffocating!
@gailcalled You are right he does on occasion sleep on our feet. Well, not really on occasion I should say he sleeps on our feet a lot. :)
@gailcalled that is too funny and I am guessing the kitty is comfortable.
I think I’m at greater danger. My cat sleeps on my head and he has no respect for my personal space. If it’s cold, he insists on sleeping in the middle between my husband and I. If we were to lie on him, he has talons to remind us we’re encroaching on his personal space.
My dogs are space invaders. They’re no longer welcome on the bed when we’re trying to sleep. They do sneak in when the opportunity presents itself. They’re big enough to be at no risk of suffocation.
@gailcalled no way of coaxing her out of that chair? Does he not fall for kiity treats?
Only tuna juice. It’s easier and cheaper to just use the second-best chair.
Generally not, unless the dog/cat is a baby or an invalid, or the human is a particularly raucous sleeper.
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