47 COMMENTS
Illustration: Sturt Krygsman.
- The Australian,
Nearly two-thirds of people who let pets sleep in the bedroom have poor quality sleep, according to the 28th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in the US.
Personally, I don’t have a choice. I have a visitor every night, my cat Muki, and if I don’t let him in he scratches at the door, claws off bits of wood and cries. So I leave my door open. A good night is when he sleeps on my pillow no matter how many times I push him off. A bad night, with my two cats, is as follows:
“Mummy is doing that strange thing she does, where she lies down and doesn’t give me attention. I will sit on her head and chew her hair. I will use her scalp as a scratching pole. Mummy is making that very loud noise she makes when I bring her a dead bird. Now she’s pushed me off the bed. She must be playing.”
He finally settles at my feet. I go back to sleep. I dream I’m paralysed from the waist down. I wake in fright. No, it’s just Muki, who is a huge 7kg (it’s the breed), sitting on my thighs, cutting off circulation. I push him to the end of the bed. I go back to sleep. I feel wet on my face. Muki is using my head as a pillow and his purring is making his nose run.
On very bad occasions Merlin, cat No 2, can be heard in the kitchen vomiting. They are both massive, fluffy creatures, and swallow a lot of fur. Up I get with the plastic bag. Deranged with exhaustion, I clean up. Muki and Merlin are now standing by my feet nagging. “It must be breakfast time, meow, meow.” I nearly trip over them, curled around my legs, as I stagger to my room.
Dog owners find it no less challenging. My friend says he has farting, snoring, licking and very bad breath to deal with. There is also flea-scratching that is loud and shakes the bed, and lots of midnight moans from dreaming about cats. Worst of all is the barking every time the roof creeks or the trees rustle.
So want to say that the statistic is wrong. People who let their pets sleep with them don’t get poorer sleep — they often get no sleep.
But I would never have it any other way. People call me insane for letting them in. I am. The crazy insanity that comes with being in love. In bed, the purring makes me feel safe. Yes, my sleep life is a catastrophe. But the adage goes: true love conquers all.
47 COMMENTS REPUBLISHED FROM THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER
Latest first
Matthew JUN 8, 2015
It is an animal – it sleeps outside
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Michael Hamilton
Michael Hamilton JUN 8, 2015
O Lord, how small is your creature, man! Made in your image, where is his mercy,his generosity, his pity and his love? ‘He behaved like an animal’, they say. But they are wrong, Lord, for animals know more than they are saying. Where is their malice, their envy, their corruption, their spite? Lord, give grace to your creature, man, that he may be more like animals. Amen. (Words by Penelope Fleming
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Michael Hamilton
Michael Hamilton JUN 8, 2015
Our very small dog sleeps on our bed every night and has done so for the past 14 years.
Some nights I have to get up two or three times to put her down off the bed (the dog, not the wife) so she can go outside for a wee break and yes, it does somewhat interfere with a good nights sleep however, it is our choice that she sleeps with us and we would not have it any other way.
FLAGSHARE2MitchellDebraLIKEREPLY
Lee
Lee JUN 7, 2015
I absolutely hate it when pet owners call themselves ‘mummy’ to their pets. It’s a pet for god’s sake, not your own child…
FLAGSHARE3DebraMichael HamiltonJamesLIKEREPLY
Leonie
Leonie JUN 7, 2015
How funny yet how true! My pug also claimed my bed when first a pup… and he absolutely will not budge. I tried locking him out of my bedroom and he very loudly dissented: door scratching (freshly painted doors), barking, growling, biting whatever was nearby.. I was persistent for 2 weeks but finally a lack of sleep and complaining neighbours (I live in a townhouse) forced me to give in. I am reckoning on another 10 years of having him on my bed… And I am sure that when he’s gone to the Rainbow Bridge I will miss him every night I lay down.
FLAGSHARE3DebraMichael HamiltonLyndaLIKEREPLY
Malcolm
Malcolm JUN 7, 2015
That’s OK.If you want life long poor sleep …..the upshot according to well known medical science is that you die early.
Its like choosing to smoke, over eat or not exercise regularly and properly.
You reap what you sow in life.
Let people live the life they want.Its just that there are consequences for doing certain things…that’s all.
FLAGSHARE2DebraLyndaLIKEREPLY
Charles
Charles JUN 6, 2015
Actually, Ruth, what are doing having anything at all to do with anyone who would have the hide to tell you’re insane for letting your cats inside? I consider anyone who doesn’t let their cat or dog inside a brute.
FLAGSHARE12DebraMichael HamiltonJamesCathyLIKEREPLY
Rebecca
Rebecca JUN 7, 2015
@Charles Absolutely!! What would make anyone think such an animal would want to be out on a cold night? As for my little cat, she is completely an indoor girl. It’s a dog’s world out there!
FLAGSHARE5DebraMichael HamiltonJamesCathyLIKEREPLY
Stephen
Stephen JUN 7, 2015
@Rebecca @Charles While I let the cat inside for the night when the overnight forecast is under 10 degrees celsius (for his health), otherwise, both dog and cat are outside at night (the cat is in a run).
You people are mad. They are ANIMALS, not people!
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Charles
Charles JUN 7, 2015
@Stephen @Rebecca @Charles Oh, I think, Stephen, we “mad” people are more fond of our cats and dogs than you are of yours. Seems pretty simple, really.
FLAGSHARE4DebraMichael HamiltonPaulJamesLIKEREPLY
Paul
Paul JUN 8, 2015
@Charles @Stephen @Rebecca Agreed Charles and I’m more fond of my little dog than most humans. She has been with me for 16 years now and I absolutely dread the thought of her eventually leaving me forever. Don’t know what I will do without her. She is irreplaceable! That’s her picture on my facebook tag.
FLAGSHARE3DebraMichael HamiltonCharlesLIKEREPLY
Michael Hamilton
Michael Hamilton JUN 8, 2015
@Stephen you are missing something in life if you think that the animals are ANIMALS
FLAGSHARE2CharlesDebraLIKEREPLY
wayne
wayne JUN 6, 2015
And all we animal owners are found to have so many benefits including stress reduction. Early man domesticated them for so many reasons and according to the weather report for here tonight its going to be a two dog night.
FLAGSHARE10DebraMichael HamiltonJamesCathyLIKEREPLY
ELIOT
ELIOT JUN 6, 2015
Gotta be something wrong when we value the company of animals more than the company of people. Suggests a very selfish society. EOF.
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Molly
Molly JUN 6, 2015
@ELIOT Not really, Eliot. Compared to that of SOME people, the company of animals stacks up favourably – as the passage below indicates:
Inner Strength:
If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills,
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches or pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you, when through no fault of yours things go wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can do all these things,
Then you are probably the family dog!!
FLAGSHARE20DebraMichael HamiltonPaulJamesLIKEREPLY
Charles
Charles JUN 6, 2015
@ELIOT You’re just jealous.
FLAGSHARE3Michael HamiltonCathyLorraineLIKEREPLY
Michael
Michael JUN 7, 2015
@ELIOT I had to look up EOF to find it means End Of File. Gee you sound like a robot.
FLAGSHARE2Michael HamiltonLorraineLIKEREPLY
Rebecca
Rebecca JUN 7, 2015
@ELIOT Many alleged higher level and two-legged ‘animals’ behave much worse than any 4 legged animal would or could.
FLAGSHARE7DebraPaulMichael HamiltonJamesLIKEREPLY
Paul
Paul JUN 8, 2015
@Rebecca @ELIOT Absolutely Rebecca. Well said and so true!
FLAGSHARE1DebraLIKEREPLY
Sam
Sam JUN 6, 2015
animals inside the house and especially on beds sleeping with people is the most vile, disgusting thing i have ever heard of.
its just wrong on so many levels
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Molly
Molly JUN 6, 2015
@Sam So, Sam, now tell us what you REALLY think about animals inside the house.
FLAGSHARE5DebraMichael HamiltonPaulMichaelLIKEREPLY
arlys
arlys JUN 6, 2015
They would probably recoil from having you around, as well.
FLAGSHARE17DebraMichael HamiltonPaulShirleyLIKEREPLY
Charles
Charles JUN 6, 2015
@Sam Like smoking I’d expect you to say.
I once heard a vet on radio say he had resuscitated 20 dogs over the years by giving them the ‘kiss’ of life. He said you contract more germs of whatever sort from the person sitting opposite you at the table in one of those fancy coffee shops than from a dog’s mouth.
You’re just so wrong on so many levels, Sam!
FLAGSHARE13DebraMichael HamiltonPaulJamesLIKEREPLY
Rebecca
Rebecca JUN 7, 2015
@Charles @Sam Well, I adore my cat. However, I do recognise that the resident flora is different to that of humans. Anyway, cats aren’t into kissing and slobbering and slavering all over people like dogs are. What’s NOT to like about a cat!
FLAGSHARE2DebraLorraineLIKEREPLY
Cathy
Cathy JUN 7, 2015
I know I would! Lol!
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Wendy
Wendy JUN 6, 2015
My dogs sleep with me. It’s been that way for decades and no ill effects. Free heat and I always have got them through to very old age so think it is beneficial for them too.
FLAGSHARE13DebraMichael HamiltonPaulJamesLIKEREPLY
arlys
arlys JUN 6, 2015
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. Live with it.
FLAGSHARE11SLDebraJamesDLIKEREPLY
Rebecca
Rebecca JUN 7, 2015
@arlys And very well-trained staff too. I do what I’m told and we all get on very well!!!
FLAGSHARE5DebraMichael HamiltonCathyLyndaLIKEREPLY
arlys
arlys JUN 6, 2015
I hear you. My Poppy, believes 0500 is breakfast time, no augument, it’s breakfast time. To pull the Donna over your head, makes for a comfortable platform for kneading, purring, and dribbling, until you can take no more, and get up and get her breakfast. She wins, every time. I understand completely, your nights.
FLAGSHARE6DebraLorraineMichaelLyndaLIKEREPLY
Grace
Grace JUN 6, 2015
I usually sleep much better with my kitty on the bed with me, he either sleeps curled up on top of my stomach or as the little spoon depending on my sleeping position. He’s so much better than a hot water bottle! Of course there are times when he decides to wake me up at 4am because he really wants to play… “meow. meoww. meowww…*jumps on bed and drops toy on my face* MEOWWW!”
When I had a dog he would usually end up getting under the covers and putting his head on the other pillow… it’s so cute when they act human <3
FLAGSHARE9DebraJamesRebeccaBernardLIKEREPLY
Bernard
Bernard JUN 6, 2015
My two dogs are pretty much like that but I’m rather deaf so the snorting doesn’t worry me. They’re bathed weekly so they’re reasonably hygienic. A couple of times over the years one or the other has had a tummy upset which is not all that pleasant at 3 am. On the other hand I don’t need an electric blanket in winter although over-heating in summer is an issue.
I also have two cats but they’re banned from the bedroom. On the couple of occasions I have let them sleep in the bed they took the opposite side of me to the dogs with the result I had no room to move. Cats also tend to want to play from 4 am onwards.
FLAGSHARE5DebraNielsMichaelLyndaLIKEREPLY
Rebecca
Rebecca JUN 7, 2015
@Bernard Get a cat. My little girl is a real lady so she doesn’t actually pass wind!!
FLAGSHARE2DebraLorraineLIKEREPLY
Andrew
Andrew JUN 6, 2015
Disgusting
The Other Andrew
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Graeme
Graeme JUN 6, 2015
“Worst of all is the barking every time the roof creeks or the trees rustle.”
Perhaps you’d better get someone in to fix that leaking roof!
FLAGSHARE2DebraMichaelLIKEREPLY
Craig
Craig JUN 6, 2015
Dogs on and in beds is very un hygenic.
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Ken
Ken JUN 6, 2015
@Craig They’re more hygienic than some people!
FLAGSHARE10DebraMichael HamiltonCathyLorraineLIKEREPLY
Andrew
Andrew JUN 6, 2015
Disgusting
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David
David JUN 6, 2015
@Andrew I’m with Andrew and Craig.
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Charles
Charles JUN 6, 2015
@Craig Rubbish! You don’t know what you’re talking about! I’ve had dogs all my life, cobber!
FLAGSHARE4DebraCathyLyndaMichaelLIKEREPLY
Rebecca
Rebecca JUN 7, 2015
@Ken @Craig Except for a few /one breed (?) dogs have doggie odour and have wet noses and often dribble. I’m sticking with cats who would never do anything so crass as defecate on the pavement for all to see and have to attend to.
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Paul
Paul JUN 8, 2015
@Rebecca @Ken @Craig Hi Rebecca. Depends on the breed. My little dog is a Miniature Fox Terrier (Tenterfield Terrier) and was desexed and micro chipped at age about 6 months. Has never had doggie odour, doesn’t dribble and sheds very little hair as they are very short haired. She has only kissed (licked) me briefly on the cheek about three times over the last 16 years when I had to leave her with the Vet for a few days and she was really over the moon to see me on my return. I cannot imagine a more loving, faithful and intelligent animal. I take her with me everywhere I go (if it isn’t hot) including to work (I am an Electrical Contractor) where she happily waits in the work vehicle, sometimes for hours, happily and without complaint. A really excellent companion!
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Molly
Molly JUN 6, 2015
It just seems to me we take our beloved Fur Friends into our homes and we end up being their guests! 🙂
FLAGSHARE12DebraJamesPeterLorraineLIKEREPLY
Molly
Molly JUN 6, 2015
“FIRM RULES” SET BY DOG OWNERS
1.Dogs are never permitted in the house. The dog stays outside in a specially built wooden compartment named (for very good reason) the “dog house”.
2.Okay, the dog can enter the house, but only for short visits, or if his own house is under renovation.
3.Okay, the dog can stay in the house on a permanent basis, provided his dog house can be sold in a garage sale to a rookie dog owner.
4.Inside the house, the dog is not allowed to run free and is confined to a comfortable but secure metal cage.
5.Okay, the metal cage becomes part of a two-for-one deal along with the dog house in the garage sale, and the dog can go wherever he pleases.
6.The dog is never allowed on the furniture.
7.Okay, the dog can get on the old furniture but not the new furniture.
8.Okay, the dog can get up on the new furniture until it looks like the old furniture, and then we’ll sell the whole lot and buy new furniture … upon which the dog will most definitely not be allowed!
9.The dog never sleeps on the bed. Full stop.
10.Okay, the dog can sleep at the foot of the bed.
11.Okay, the dog can sleep alongside you, but he’s not allowed under the covers.
12.Okay, the dog can sleep under the covers but not with his head on the pillow.
13.Okay, the dog can sleep alongside you under the covers with his head on the pillow, but if he snores he’s got to leave the room.
14.Okay, the dog can sleep, and snore, and have nightmares in bed, but he’s not to come in and sleep on the couch in the TV room, where I’m now sleeping. That’s just not fair.
15.The dog never gets listed on the census questionnaire as “primary resident,” even if it’s true.
FLAGSHARE33SLDebraMichael HamiltonPaulLIKEREPLY
Heather
Heather JUN 6, 2015
Omit steps 1 to 5 and we have the Firm Rules for Cat owners. Just add 7a cat is not allowed to scratch the furniture, 7b cat is allowed to scratch the old furniture 7c all the furniture is old, when we buy new furniture cat will definitely not be allowed to scratch it
And you wouldn’t have it any other way,
FLAGSHARE10DebraPeterLorraineRebeccaLIKEREPLY
Ken
Ken JUN 6, 2015
@Molly And they’re worth every iota of indulgence!
FLAGSHARE8DebraCathyHMichaelLIKEREPLY
raelene
raelene JUN 6, 2015
I love this , I need to pinch it lol
FLAGSHARE5DebraMichaelLyndaJennieLIKEREPLY
arlys
arlys JUN 6, 2015
We hear you. We understand.
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