3 reasons why cats sleep at their owner's feet

Living side by side with such seemingly ordinary animals as cats, owners never cease to be surprised by their mysterious and sometimes mysterious behavior. Cats are credited with not only mystical properties, but also medicinal properties.

Watching how a furry pet goes to bed, household members make various guesses as to why cats sleep at their feet. Some owners believe that this is a good sign - the animal is healing a person in this way, others tend to think that this is how the pet is trying to free itself from its own negative energy.

Reasons for behavior

Despite the fact that cats love and appreciate comfort and warmth, plentiful food and a calm environment, these creatures are not that close to their owners. Fluffy pets do not always let their household know how they are treated, and can be very stingy in showing love and gratitude.

That is why household members are interested in the behavior of their pet, trying to understand what motivates him, for example, to find an explanation for why cats sleep on their feet.

Fans of these graceful animals know that cats spend two thirds of their lives sleeping. Being predators by nature, in the wild these animals sleep for at least 16 hours, saving energy and hiding from enemies during the daytime.

Cats' hearing and sense of smell make them sleep shallow and sensitive. The slightest rustle or barely perceptible sound can instantly wake up a seemingly serenely sleeping pet.

Living with a person, cats adapt to the lifestyle and routine established by the owner of the house. Being nocturnal hunters, pets nevertheless sleep at night with their owners. Often cats choose the owner's bed to sleep, sitting comfortably at the foot.

Modern zoology does not have any scientifically substantiated explanations for why cats like to sleep on their feet. There are several versions and guesses regarding the unusual behavior of pets:

Energy theory . According to this hypothesis, cats have the ability to transform the negative energy of the biofield of other creatures into neutral. It is believed that during this process the animals do not cause themselves any harm. Most often, pets encounter the energy field of the owner and household members. It is to them that the invisible therapy of furry healers is aimed.

In addition, there is an assumption that a person unconsciously draws energy from space. Being initially positive, after passing through the human body the energy acquires the opposite charge and exits into the ground with a minus sign. Cats, being sensitive to geomagnetic fields, neutralize or transform negative energy.

This theory has many supporters who, not unreasonably, believe that in this way cats prolong the life of their owners.

Zoologists and veterinary specialists tend to believe that the reason why cats like to sleep on their feet is because they love warmth. Experienced breeders and cat lovers have long noticed that furry couch potatoes choose the warmest places in the house. Cats happily sleep near heating radiators, on warm and soft loungers, and if the owner is already in bed, then a soft bed will be their favorite place.

The pet's desire to find a warm and dry place to sleep is due to the fact that the animal is motionless during rest. To prevent hypothermia during sleep, the cat looks for a warm and safe place in advance. Often pets want to lie on the chest or closer to the owner, but a safer and calmer place is still the legs of the household. Compared to the human body, legs are lighter, and they are unlikely to injure a pet.

The reason why cats lie on their feet, many fans of these animals consider the ability of furry pets to feel sick and dysfunctional places in the body. Scientific research does not confirm or refute this version. Many owners have repeatedly noted that pets choose sore spots on the human body.

Scientists explain this phenomenon by the fact that most pathologies are inflammatory in nature, in which local body temperature slightly increases. This is imperceptible to humans, but a hypersensitive cat unmistakably detects a warmer area of the body and strives to lie down closer.

Almost all owners of domestic cats can say with confidence why the cat sleeps at the owner’s feet . Furry pet lovers are unanimous in their opinion that this is how animals show their love and appreciation. Spending most of his life in a state of half-asleep, when else, if not in a dream, to be closer to his beloved owner.

Being cautious by nature and smart creatures, cats do not like to bother with their presence at hand and often choose the most calm and safe place from their point of view - a person’s feet.

Many guesses about the reasons why cats choose a place to sleep near a person’s feet indicate a genuine interest in these unique creatures both by ordinary owners and zoological scientists.

To learn why cats sleep on humans, watch this video:

Features of cat sleep

Like any living creature on the planet, a cat’s life processes are subject to their own biorhythms. The frequency of sleep, peak and decline in activity is determined by nature. These processes coincide with the rhythm of occurring phenomena - changes of day and night, seasons, phases of the moon and others.

A cat's biological clock differs from the rhythm of human life. The owner must take into account the peculiarities of the pet’s body, since a serious deviation from biorhythms can lead to deterioration in well-being and health problems.

In its natural habitat, the active phase of a cat's life occurs at night. At this time of day in the wild, most cats devote themselves to exploring the territory, searching for and pursuing prey, and communicating with members of their own species and other inhabitants. Such a busy life requires a lot of time for proper rest and the animal spends about 12-14 hours a day sleeping.

A domestic cat does not need to find a safe place to rest, hunt or fight for existence, so it can sleep from half a day to 17-18 hours. The amount of sleep a cat gets depends on the following factors:

Age. Kittens spend up to 90% of their time sleeping, and as they grow older, the duration of wakefulness increases. How much older cats sleep depends on their health and activity levels.
Temperament. A sociable and playful cat may spend a little less time sleeping.
Weights. Overweight cats get tired quickly and often have a list of obesity-related diseases. Some obese cats spend up to 20 hours sleeping.
Satiety. How much cats sleep directly depends on high-quality, nutritious and timely nutrition. Kittens fall asleep as soon as they are full. The same habit remains in adulthood - a well-fed cat is happy, relaxed and quickly falls asleep.
Health conditions. A sick animal needs more time to rest.
Psychological comfort. Anxiety, fright, and stress can lead to sleep disorders in a cat.

Cats sleep 17-18 hours

It has not yet been possible to reliably find out why cats sleep a lot, however, most scientists identify the following reasons:

Genetic predisposition. Cats are predators by nature and in the process of hunting they spend a lot of energy, to restore the reserves of which they need a long rest.
Features of sleep. Like people, a cat's sleep goes through a phase of rapid sleep, lasting 5-7 minutes, and slow sleep, lasting 20-30 minutes. During the REM phase of sleep, the cat's muscles are completely relaxed, and there is no reaction to external stimuli. If you observe the cat at this moment, you will notice movement of the eyes under closed eyelids, twitching of the paws and twitching of the whiskers. The slow-wave sleep phase is characterized by slower breathing and a decrease in heart rate, while at the same time, in this state, the cat has complete control over the surrounding space. Not completely relaxed muscles allow the animal to instantly react to any danger and immediately move from a state of sleep to active action.

It is not recommended to frequently wake the cat or disrupt the normal routine in other ways. A sudden awakening or prolonged lack of sleep can lead to increased irritability and excitability of the pet, as well as subsequent health problems.

The biological clock of a cat living at home is somewhat different from its wild relatives. In contrast, a pet can afford to take a nap at night, in the company of its owners, and peak activity occurs in the evening and morning.

Domestic cats sleep at night, unlike their wild relatives.

Why do cats like to sleep at their feet and not next to them?

Cats like to sleep at their feet, not next to them, or do not approach their faces, often due to the hierarchical nature of the relationships between animals, both among themselves and with humans. A cat or cat, which, due to its temperament and disposition, does not claim a leading role in the community, most often chooses a place to sleep at the feet of the owner. With this behavior, the pet shows that it views the person as a leader and leader, recognizing its secondary role.

According to experienced breeders, the location of a cat in the blood is influenced by the character of the pet and its sense of security. If the animal is calm about human movements during sleep and is not bothered by changes in position, then the cat sleeps with pleasure next to the person. However, a shy, fearful pet prefers a safer place - at the feet, since compared to the human body, the legs have less weight and do not frighten the domestic couch potato as much.

A cat who loves comfort and does not tolerate a familiar attitude towards him will never choose human feet for rest.

Discomfort from sleeping with a cat at night

The downside of sleeping with a cat is a decrease in sleep quality. The person does not fall asleep immediately because he is communicating with the pet. In addition, he tries to lie down in such a way that it is the cat who can sleep comfortably, and not him. Due to the uncomfortable position, sleep becomes weak and shallow, parts of the body become numb. But a cat can also scratch or toss and turn, which can wake a person.

A cat may accidentally scratch a person in their sleep

For what diseases does a cat lie down on its feet?

Even eminent scientists in the field of zoopsychology cannot determine exactly what diseases cause a cat to lie down. It is believed that mustachioed healers occupy this position in case of diseases of an inflammatory nature - arthritis, myositis. Pathological processes accompanied by inflammation are characterized by an increase in local temperature in the affected area (joints).

Cats very sensitively sense the slightest change in the environment and react even to a slight increase in temperature, choosing a warmer place to rest. And if the owner often notices that the cat goes to sleep on his feet, the health of the joints should be checked.

Felinotherapy

Some scientists believe that the human body is an analogue of an electric battery, in which the head is the positive pole, and the charge with a minus sign is located in the legs. Pets sensitive to electromagnetic fields prefer to sleep at the feet of a person, thereby, as it were, removing negative energy. This theory appealed to cat lovers who consider these animals to be natural healers.

If a cat comes to your feet and licks itself

If a cat comes to your feet and licks itself, this behavior usually indicates the animal’s trust and affection for the person. Licking fur is considered by zoologists as a ritual of “shedding” one’s scent. Manipulation helps the pet find a common language with its relatives.

In relation to a person, a cat acts in the same way, considering him a member of his family. Therefore, if a pet climbs into the legs and begins to lick itself, then this behavior indicates that the cat trusts and feels gratitude and love for the family member.

How to wean a cat from sleeping at its owner's feet

Most experts advise immediately accustoming the kitten to its own sleeping place, stopping attempts to lie down next to its feet.

But if this happens, and the pet is used to sleeping with its owner, weaning it from sleeping in its owner’s bed is not such a difficult task as it seems at first glance.

It is important to remember that cats love comfort and peace, so you need to try to organize the most comfortable sleeping place for them:

Choose the warmest, most secluded and protected place for your cat to sleep.
The cat bed should be spacious enough and create a feeling of security. Cardboard boxes and wide baskets with walls but an open top are perfect for these purposes.
Cats love to rest on soft things. Therefore, you should cover the bottom of the bed with foam rubber, put your favorite blanket, pillow or small mattress on top, and then cover it with a bedding made of soft, pleasant-to-touch fabric.
Cleanliness is very important for furry purrs, so the bedding must be regularly cleaned of hair and other debris. At least once a week, cat underwear should be washed using baby or household soap. The use of powders or toilet soap for these purposes is strictly contraindicated, since representatives of the cat family are extremely sensitive to artificial fragrances and are susceptible to allergic reactions.
Cats are extremely curious by nature and love to observe what is happening. Therefore, when choosing a place to place their lounger, it is important to ensure that this need is met. The ideal option would be to place the box or basket on a small hill.
Place your cat's favorite toys next to the bed.
Place some of the owner's things, items of clothing on the bed so that the animal feels its usual, favorite smell and feels extremely calm and protected.

By following the recommendations listed above, you can quite easily and simply equip a cat with an excellent sleeping place, which she will quickly get used to and will not create unnecessary trouble for her owners.

Also watch the video why cats sleep at human feet:

How cats choose who to sleep with

A cat’s choice of whom to sleep with is influenced by the animal’s individual characteristics, its morals, and attachment to a particular family member. Some pets happily relax with the head of the family, climbing on the man’s head or chest, or prefer to sleep at the feet. Other cats choose only their owner to sleep and categorically do not want to sleep next to their husband.

Scientists explain the choice of a pet not only by its attachment to a specific person, but also by the theory of smells. Long-term observations of mustachioed friends have shown that it is the smell of a person that is decisive for a cat in matters of friendship and love. If an animal considers him “one of its own,” then it recognizes this person as a leader, leader, and gladly chooses him as a companion during sleep.

Is it possible to sleep with a cat?

There is no firm statement whether you can sleep in the same bed with a cat or not. On this issue, the opinions of experts differ greatly. Some are sure that pets have nothing to do on the bed, even if at the feet, while others, on the contrary, welcome the presence of furry animals nearby.

But before letting a cat into your sleeping place, you need to understand well that all street animals are potentially dangerous. After all, they are capable of carrying pathogens of various severe pathologies. Most often, they can become infected with parasites and lichen.

If the cat lives exclusively at home and does not have contact with other animals or the street, then he can be allowed to sleep with a person on the bed.

The downside to the fact that the cat sleeps with the owner is considered to be a banal inconvenience. He takes the position that he likes best, and will be very unhappy if he is moved or shifted. He can also wake up when a person is still sleeping and start playing with his toes, hands, and hair.

The advantage of such a dream is that the kitten’s purring has a calming effect on the owner’s nervous system, eliminates the feeling of loneliness, and also warms the pet in cold weather. In any case, it is up to the individual to decide whether to allow animals to sleep at their feet or whether it is better to make a separate bed for them.

Why does a cat sleep near a child?

According to experts, there are several reasons why a cat sleeps near a child:

first of all, the animal is not afraid of the small size of the child, it feels safe, as if on equal terms;
cat lovers believe that they sleep with children also because in this way they show their affection and love for all family members;
Scientists believe that animals choose the company of young children because the temperature of a child’s body is higher than the body temperature of an adult.

Features of cat sleep

Watching how your furry pet sleeps serenely, you can notice interesting features of its behavior:

Even a cat that seems to be deeply asleep at first glance does not stop reacting to environmental stimuli. Watching carefully, you can see how the whiskers, tips of the ears, eyelids and paws of the animal twitch.

Foreign neurophysiologists claim that cats dream. Scientists believe that most often they dream of hunting or skirmishes with enemies.

Furry pets have two stages of sleep: napping and deep sleep. During the first, the animal's muscles remain tense and the metabolism slows down. During this phase, the animal wakes up very quickly at the slightest external stimulus.

Deep sleep is characterized by complete relaxation of the animal's muscles (cats often fall during this process if they fall asleep on a hill). A cat emerges from such sleep much more slowly than from a nap.

Cats have approximately three times more REM sleep than humans.

Newborn babies sleep only in deep sleep; their drowsiness phase is not developed.

Spending most of their lives sleeping, pets sometimes choose the most unexpected places to rest: washing machines, closet shelves, carelessly left bags or baskets, etc.

We recommend reading about how to stop a cat from scratching wallpaper and furniture. You will learn about the causes of property damage, methods aimed at eliminating this problem, cutting nails, and eliminating stress factors.

Here's more information on how to trim a cat's claws.

How to wean it off?

Due to the fact that cats can transmit diseases that negatively affect the development of the fetus, pregnant women should limit their cat's visits to the place where they rest.

Not every owner likes close nighttime contact with their pet. You can work with your cat’s habit of lying down near your feet, and you will gradually be able to wean him off this habit, but this process is not quick. There are ideas that will change the behavior of an animal:

Select and arrange a corner with a personal bed for the cat in the owner’s room.
Place your pet on your own bed as often as possible.
Place the animal's favorite toys in the designated place for sleeping.
Try not to chase away your furry pet at first if it lies down next to its owner.
If it is impossible to come to terms with the presence of a cat in bed, you need to carefully take him to a designated place, calm him down and stroke him.
For successfully moving the cat to its personal bed, you can reward it with a treat.

Despite their stubbornness and independence, cats are smart animals, which means they know exactly what they want. There is no need to rush into changing their habits; it will take about 20 days to change their behavior. When changing your place of sleep, it is important to increase the time of contact with your pet outside the bedroom. The cat must understand that only a change in the situation is happening, and no one is fenced off from it.

Favorite places to sleep and their organization

Having gained fame as lovers of sleep, cats are nevertheless scrupulous when choosing a place to sleep. First of all, the overnight shelter or nest for daytime rest should be warm, dry, and calm. That is why the pet often chooses the owner’s bed, a place near the radiator, or a shelf in a cabinet. For the same reason, cats often prefer to sleep on a sunny windowsill, which is warm even in winter thanks to the heating system.

Many animals like to rest and sleep in an elevated place, believing that it is safer. In the wild, this habit is due to the fact that it is easier to see the enemy from a high place. Often cats try to choose a dark and quiet place, for example, in a closet, in a box, etc. As a rule, the pet changes its sleeping place during the day.

The fact that a cat sleeps at their feet does not please every owner. Some people are advised not to sleep in the same bed with a furry couch potato:

pregnant women;

children under 3 years old;

for allergy sufferers;

people suffering from somnambulism (walking in their sleep).

If for some reason the owner cannot or does not want the pet to sleep at his feet, he should purchase or independently build a special bed for him. Teaching an animal to sleep in a specially designated place is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

Noticing how a cat sleeps at his feet, what this means interests every curious owner of a furry homebody. Despite the variety of versions explaining this phenomenon, a caring owner will choose the one that, in his opinion, best characterizes his beloved pet.

Sleeping together between a cat and its owner

For humans, spending time with a pet like this is not dangerous, so there should be no cause for concern when sleeping together. Cats love the smell of their owner and everything that he emits, so the animal does not miss a single opportunity to lie next to a person.

Negative aspects

You should not sleep with an animal on the same bed in the following cases:

Restless sleep. When a person often tosses and turns, turns from one side to the other, you can inadvertently crush the paw or tail of an animal. In addition, cats sleep soundly and may not find their way in time. In this case, it is better to give your pet a separate sleeping area;
Allergy to wool. Some people react particularly sharply to cat hair, they begin to sneeze, runny nose, and exhibit other allergic symptoms;
Woman's pregnancy. It is recommended to wean your pet from the habit of sleeping on the same bed with its owner, since when the child is born, he will constantly be next to his mother;

Birth of a baby. The proximity of a cat and a baby on the same bed is not recommended in order to avoid injuries from both the child and the pet. If a cat walks outside during the day and sleeps at home at night, it is worth limiting his access to the master’s and children’s beds, as he can bring home an infection or some parasites, infecting the baby.

Useful video

Watch this video about what diseases cats can treat:

How to get used to your place

To train a cat to sleep separately, you need to arrange a comfortable sleeping place for it. Before placing it anywhere, you need to observe your pet. Each cat has its own favorite places in the house, so it is best to install a bed or house there.

When the sleeping area is prepared, place the cat on it so that it can carefully examine everything. Whether she liked the new place to sleep or not will be immediately clear. If your pet is still small, you can attract his attention to his sleeping place with the help of catnip. This bait is also perfect for adult cats.

At every opportunity, you need to take your cat to a bed. For example, after a meal, when guests arrive, every evening before bed. You can place a box with her toys next to the cat’s sleeping place, and also praise her and reward her with something tasty.

If the cat already has a favorite bed, there shouldn’t be any problems either. For example, if she likes an old T-shirt and sleeps on it all the time, then you can put this thing in the cat’s house.

Organize a comfortable sleeping place for your cat

At first, until the cat learns to sleep separately, close the bedroom door at night. The pet will not like this very much for the first few days. But after that the cat will have no choice but to go to bed on the prepared bed.

You need to act gradually, cats are intelligent animals and understand what is wanted from them. However, it will take at least 15-20 days to change your habit. When weaning a cat from co-sleeping, you need to increase the time of communication and play outside the bedroom.