Sleeping with Kittens/Cats (eating, throw up, meowing, dog)
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Bobbles has been allowed in our bedroom for the past month. I haven't had a good night's sleep since. I don't remember this with my previous kittens. They just slept on the pillow above my head without incident.
Bobbles is everywhere all night long. She is a purring machine who sticks her cold nose in our faces a million times a night. When she's finally ready to sleep, she wants to sleep on my chest. At only 4-1/2 pounds, it's difficult to breath and she'll only get bigger. Plus, she likes her face to literally touch my face. Last night, I managed to maneuver her slightly lower on my chest by sliding her down via pulling the covers under her. Even then, I can't change positions when she's on me. Since I have arthritis, staying in one place too long starts to hurt.
If I reach for her or try to pick her up to move her somewhere more comfortable, she runs off, only to return later to climb onto my chest again. I figured she was cold last night. I pulled a throw on top of the bed over top of her while she was on my chest. She stayed longer than usual. When I turned on my side, her body slid down next to me in the blankets and she didn't run off like she usually does. That's the closest we have gotten to an agreement in a month.
How can I teach Bobbles where to sleep in the bed?
You could get her a kitty bed and see if she takes to it when she leaves your bed. Other than that, your comfort is more important and she'll get over it if you've just had enough for a little while. My cat is like that, meowing when I'm sleeping, walking on me, sticking her whiskers in my face, rubbing against me. If she gets too annoying I put her out of my room and shut the door, but I don't have to do that too often. She also insists on sleeping against my right shoulder and digging her claws in my armpits, it's very annoying lol.
Elsa was easy from the get-go. She snuggled down against my chest and slept as a small kitten. Added Sam.. she moved behind my knees and Sam slept behind my husbands knees. Added the twins.....Rufus slept against my chest and Daisy in front of my shins.
Good thing we had a king bed.
All 4 of these slept like little logs.
Next round.. Lily........didn't want to sleep on the bed period. She slept in her own bed on the floor. Then we moved and she decided Momma's new bed looked like the perfect place to sleep. So she picked in back of my knees. However, she also likes to play monorail and sleep stretched out from my shoulder to hip (I'm a side sleeper). That gets very uncomfortable to say the least.
Charcoal.......isn't interested. He has his own bedroom and his own little bed. I tried an experiment Sat night letting him sleep with Lily and me. Didn't work as all he wanted to do was terrorize his big sister all night long.
Some cats can be VERY clingy. It's tough to resolve. You need to be insistent, and just move her, physically, which can turn into a battle, as you mentioned. Another solution is to not let her in your room at bedtime. This, of course, can turn into a fit of yowling. However, after a couple nights, they usually give up and and accept the change.
It's really a matter of routine. Cats are creatures of habit. My gals cat is a love the way yours is. Not so insistent about being in our faces, but he sleeps with her when I'm not there, so, when I am, he seems to have a need to be part of our physical contact. He's not being jealous, he just wants to be a part of our relationship. He used to want to be between us, alternating who he faced. Just purring away. A furry buffer zone. Lol.
We have him conditioned, now, through much patience, to be bappy being between our feet. This makes him happy, as he gets the physical contact be wants, just without being a barrier. I guess we taught him to share better, so to speak.
So, if you want to keep letting her sleep with you, try to get here used to being in a less invasive spot, where she can have contact with you without being so invasive. It will take a little time, and you have to be the alpha, but you should be able to work it out. She should get better as she gets older and out of the kitten pbase, as well. Becoming more indepenent with maturity.
If you intend to let her stay in there you could try a heating pad under the covers - at the foot of the bed. Once she discovers the warmth there she will leave you alone!! Or, one of those heated throws - I have (had) one that I liked to snuggle up in with a cup of coffee and a good book on a snowy day, but seems little my little furry buddies called dibs on that too. It gets warm, but not heating pad warm - and if left on the floor even The Basset would probably like to snooze there!! Other than that, the only real way to keep them off of you to get a good night's sleep is to shut the door and then wear earplugs (at our house we have several who will sit outside our bedroom door and thump the door or hurl themselves at it while meowing loudly and pitifully).
Cats all have different personalities. Some like to sleep uner the covers some above, some inbetween your legs some next to them, soem at the end of the bed and others on top of your head. I grew up with cats and have experienced all manners of sleepers and the ones that want ot play at night, cats are nocturnal afterall.
I think someday you will both reach a compromise and be happy. Remember it could be worse kitty could choose to chew on that houseplant in your room and then throw up at 3 in the morning.
She is a purring machine who sticks her cold nose in our faces a million times a night. When she's finally ready to sleep, she wants to sleep on my chest. At only 4-1/2 pounds, it's difficult to breath and she'll only get bigger. Plus, she likes her face to literally touch my face.
She loves you!
Not much help, right? You're her security, and she wants to be near you.
I spread a fluffy blanket out at the foot of my bed as an incentive. It works about 50 percent of the time, which is guess is better than 25 percent of the time.
Sorry but your post made me laugh, I know it's not funny to live with so little sleep and I know how annoying it is - I had a cat that thought she was a hat! She wanted to curl around my head to sleep and would bite if I moved! Eek! It wasn't pretty! She also attacked my b/f when he tried to get in bed the first time! Ok then, I thought this isn't going to work!
I kept redirecting her and eventually she got the idea she could sleep with me but not around my head. It was too hot and impossible to sleep with a cat-hat that didn't allow movement. Patience and persistence. Left me sleep deprived and grumpier than usual - I was a natural grump in my 20s but eventually she got the idea. I lavished her with attention outside of bed, let her walk with me when I took the dog out, that was fun. Cracked my roommate up, she used to introduce me as St. Francis - hardly I did it to keep the cat quiet and compliant!
Good luck with Bobbles! I hope you find a compromise that she finds acceptable =)
I have a solution, when my cat drove me insane with his love at night, we would cuddle, and then, I put him in his own little cat bed, right next to me on a chair by the bed. And he would settle right down. I can reach out and pet him, his toys are there, his brush, and a cuddly blankie. I bought his bed at Petco.
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