Are sheets and bed covers just as clean whether a cat sleeps on them or not?

Well sure, you’re going to have cat hair (the amount will depend on how much the cat sheds), but otherwise it’s fine. As mentioned in the other thread cats are, generally speaking, pretty meticulous about keeping themselves clean.

Depends on the cat. People who love cats tend to enjoy touching them. Cats do lick themselves with the same tongue with which they eat food and bugs and clean their butts and privates. Cats do roll all over the ground, and explore everywhere they can get away with. They rub their scent on things. They tend to have some bits of plants (e.g. pollen) somewhere in their fur. Cats sometimes drool, puke, wipe their noses and butts on things, shed, sneeze, have fleas, and have oozing wounds under their fur. Sometimes they mark or pee on things. Sometimes. Oh sometimes they bring other animals into the house in various states of alive/terrified/injured/dead. Sometimes they drop a dead bird and then later pluck it in the house. Just sometimes. Generally mostly clean and again cat lovers tend not to mind except the more severe ones.

no, nada, negative

@Zaku. thanks for confirming my worst suspicions. No cat for me!

Still, it’s nothing in comparison to what dogs do. Wet dog fur makes a whole house smell. Cats don’t have that effect… well unless they’re indoor cats and the litter box hasn’t been cleaned and/or they’ve peed on something. But it is generally much less than the effect of dogs. Er, especially large dogs.

No. I notice absolutely nothing when my cats sleep with me. People are dirtier.

@Aster what Zaku said is mostly from indoor/outdoor cats. I have two totally indoor cats and it seems fine to me.

Sheets that have been slept on by a cat are not “just as clean” as sheets not slept on by a cat, just as sheets that have been slept on by a human are not just as clean as sheets not slept on by a human.

However, unless the cat has been rolling around outside, if a cat sleeps on your sheets, you will probably only notice if they shed a bit of hair.

Also, there’s no imperative to allow a cat to sleep with you. I had cats for several years, and never allowed them in my room while I slept. Not because of the sheets, but because they would knock things off the dresser to wake me up in the morning.

So, it’s certainly possible to have cats and not allow them to sleep on your sheets if you don’t want them to.

Who said sheets that have been slept on by cats are just as clean as sheets that haven’t been slept on by cats? They’ll doesn’t even make sense! Of course they’re “dirtier”, but minisculy so. People are dirtier than cats.

Yes, I agree usually most cats are cleaner than most people. I was just listing the possible exceptions. :-)

My 2 cats sleep with me on top of the covers and no, other than a little fur during shedding season ( now ) they do not soil the bedding at all. Cats are very clean little animals. A daily quickie brush keeps the shedding down during the warmer months.

Thanks everyone!!