Where Should My Cat Sleep At Night?

When I got my first cat as an adult, I was determined not to let the kitten sleep in our room. I was adamant we would shut the door upon me going to bed and he would see me in the morning. Unfortunately, my cat had different ideas. Night after night, he would meow outside my door, waiting for me to open it. My sleep was horrible for weeks. And you might wonder, “why wouldn’t she just let the cat in?”.

Stubbornness and the Internet. The Internet told me to wait it out. I did… for weeks. Suffering from frustration. I tried everything. At one point, I ran the vacuum every time he meowed, so he’d associate the doorway with the negative sound. By the way, that’s a horrible idea. Don’t do that!

My point is cat owners have tons of conflicting information about where to let cats sleep and why.

Why are cats awake at night?

The first thing to understand is cats don’t keep the same schedule as us. Almost every cat owner has stories of cats “zooming” at night or waking them up to play. But why?

Cats have circadian rhythms like all other animals or humans. A circadian rhythm determines when we feel sleepy, tired, or awake. Circadian rhythms may determine whether you are a night or morning person.

A study into cat sleep-wake states determined predominantly nocturnal wakefulness with dawn and dusk peaks. This is also called being crepuscular. Therefore, cats may meow for breakfast at 4 am or have midnight zoomies.

What are the most common places for a cat to sleep at night?

Cats choose where they sleep more than you do. It’s hard to stop them from napping on counters or the back of the couch. Even if you buy them a bed, there’s no guarantee they will use it. There are a few things which will affect where they sleep.

• Warmth: Cats love to lie in a sunbeam. They prefer being warm to being cold and will seek it out actively. Your cat may sleep in areas where the sun comes from the window or near the heater. A cat’s average body temperate is 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Outside, it’s easier to maintain the high body temperature. However, the A/C inside makes it harder to keep heat, encouraging them to seek warm places.
• Softness: Who doesn’t like to lie on something soft? We have couches, sofas, and beds. Cats will frequently lie on the couch or the bed. Cats prefer lying on carpets to the cool floor, sometimes due to the hardness of the floor or other areas. Additionally, cats need relaxation to go “boneless”, which is much easier on softer objects. The “boneless” states are because of the amount of acrobatics their bodies do during play or hunting.
• Privacy: Your cat needs personal space and privacy. When a cat is hiding in a private place, they may just want to be alone. They may curl up under the bed or inside a closet. Additionally, private spaces often provide an area of protection and security. It makes the process easier to protect themselves if attacked.
• Closeness: Your cat loves to be close to you. Your cat’s chosen spot may be near or even on you, because they want closeness. Despite their reputation as loners, cats are social animals who love to be close to the pack mates. If your cat sleeps on you, they trust you enough to be in a defenseless state with you around.
• Height: My house has four cat towers and shelves lining the walls specifically for the cats to play on. Cats love high places. It allows them to see everything on and provide a defense in case of attack. Your cat may sleep in high places for observation and protection.

Where should I let my cat sleep at night?

We’re aware of the factors which may affect where your cat sleeps. However, these are all their own choices. There may be places you determine aren’t great or pleasing for your cat to sleep on, like the kitchen counter.

• Your Bed: Most cat owners don’t try what I did and immediately let their cats sleep in their own bed. This is where most cats sleep as it checks multiple boxes. It’s soft and near you, which provides warmth. Allowing a cat to sleep with you has been shown to reduce stress and help mental health issues, while strengthening your bond. However, sometimes it’s not a good fit to have them sleep in your bed. Some allergy suffers declare the bedroom a cat free zone to help lesser exposure. Additionally, some people are light sleepers, and a cat moving throughout the room at night makes it difficult to get good sleep.
• Furniture: This isn’t as great as your bed, but it checks the softness and high place factors. If your cat sleeps in a cat tower or the couch, they clearly enjoy the experience. However, some cat owners don’t allow their cats on the furniture. This is a personal decision as some have allergies exacerbated by cat dander on furniture.
• Own Bed: My cat didn’t use their bed for ages. It sat in the corner, unused, until I placed it into the window for the sun to come through. If your cat uses their bed automatically, great. It’s soft. If not, you could try adding something with your scent, placing it up high, or inside the window.
• Other: Cats will sleep almost anywhere. I often find mine on top of the fridge or in a closet. If your cat is sleeping somewhere strange, it’s up to you to decide whether you like it. Consider whether it’s hurting anything.

Come nighttime, it’s ultimately up to you to determine where your cat sleeps, within reason. While you cat lock them out of the bedroom, you may not stop them everywhere.

What do I do if my cat wakes me up at night?

Due to their circadian rhythms, cats are more likely to be awake and active at night. However, they also want to be close to you. This can lead to an issue where your cat tries to wake you up at night for companionship. For a solid two weeks, my cat would wake me up at exactly 2am with a ball to play fetch. Since most people want uninterrupted sleep, it’s probably fair to say you’ll want some tips for helping fix this.

• Attention: The most important step here is to ensure you don’t provide attention when your cat is showing this unwanted behavior. If you respond to your cat’s meows or wake-up calls for attention, you are positively reinforcing the behavior. This motivates the cat to do it more and more. Rather, focus on ignoring the behavior. It’s difficult, but there is something called an extinction burst, which is where a behavior increases before it decreases.
• Exercise: Another brilliant method is to wear your cat out before bedtime. With a long play session or other exercise, your cat is more likely to sleep through the night or be too tired to want to play with you at 1am.
• Feeding: Most cat owners complain of their cat waking them up at an early time for food. There are a few things you can do to curb this. The most common is to have an automatic feeder, which takes the control from your hands. The cat should stop begging you for it come dinner timer. Another suggestion is to practice free feeding, which originates from a cat’s tendencies to be grazers.
• Companionship: Your cat may be lonely at night when they meow for you. If your cat is an only child, sometimes introducing a second playmate will provide them with the companionship they were craving. Additionally, you could allow your cat to enter your room but shut the door when they wake you up. This allows them to learn they can be near you if they are quiet.

Should I get a bed for my cat to sleep on?

The decisions to get a bed for your cat is personal. If you believe your cat will use it, go for it. It really will hurt nothing, and provides a personal comfort spot for your cat to use.