Why does a cat lie on a person and sleep on him?

Why does a cat sleep on a person or next to him?

Often a cat, choosing a place to sleep, prefers the owner’s legs, stomach and other parts of the body. Sometimes she lies down next to her, as if it is important for her that the owner, while she sleeps, is nearby. It is impossible to say for sure what this behavior is connected with, but there are a number of scientific, simply logical and even mystical explanations why a cat or a cat sleeps on a person. We present the main ones.

Wants to keep warm

The fluffy pet chooses the human body for the temperature and warmth it gives off. Placed on the owner, the pet can warm up and fall asleep comfortably.

Demonstrates superiority

It’s no secret that this pet is often characterized by “leadership qualities” and the desire to show that the head of the house is by no means the owner. Having climbed onto the household, the predator shows its dominance and controls what is happening around.

Ensures your safety

A fluffy pet loves not only to be in charge, but also to feel protected from the danger that may await him around. For this reason, he keeps close to the owner (or better on him), because a larger predator guarantees him safety and protection in unforeseen situations.

Follows the scent

The cat does not resist its natural instincts and tends to get closer to the owner, from whom a certain smell emanates. It is believed that human sweat is able to attract the animal as a kind of aphrodisiac. This is also why some pets prefer to fall asleep with their nose in the owner’s armpit.

Strives for peace

One of the reasons why a pet climbs to the household directly on the chest or close to it is the audibility and feeling of the beating of the human heart. When a person lies or sits, his calm heart rate serves as a real lullaby for the pet. These monotonous muffled sounds help the animal to relax and fall asleep sweetly. To babies, they resemble the mother’s heartbeat.

Provides comfort

A simple human explanation is as follows: it is convenient for a pet to lie on a person. The soft and warm body has to be placed on it with comfort.

Shows warm feelings

Owners like to think that the reason for this behavior of a pet is higher than just convenience. So, many assume that in this way the pet shows its love and devotion to the owner for everything that he does for his ward.

Compensates for lack of focus

Repeated observations of behavior suggest a link with mental health. A pet may suffer from loneliness, not receiving proper attention and affection from the household. Therefore, he himself strives for the owner in order to satisfy the need for physical and emotional contact.

Gives patronage

The instinct to protect is inherent in many living beings, and not only blood offspring or favorite toys, but also the owner himself is often under the protection of pets. So, being near the owner or on him, the pet shows that the person is under his protection.

Provides assistance

A very common hypothesis is that by lying on the part of the human body where the owner is in pain, the pet is trying to alleviate his pain. Paw massage and the soothing purring of a pet really dull the discomfort in this area, which is confirmed by many cat owners.

Foresees the future

Among the explanations from the field of esotericism is this: this ancient animal has a premonition. It is noted that in the house, it is the mustachioed observers who are the first to know about the replenishment in the family. Although there may be another explanation for this: a woman’s hormonal background changes, and a pet smells (thanks to a subtle sense of smell) catches this. Lying on the belly of the expectant mother, they thus protect the unborn child.

Heals

Another supernatural ability of fluffy wards among the people is considered to be the deliverance of people from various diseases and ailments. People whose well-being is negatively affected by weather changes and its anomalies can be healed thanks to the powerful energy field of a pet. So, they relieve the owner of depression and headaches, help normalize blood pressure, relieve stress and improve mood.

Eliminates negativity

There is also a belief that a mustachioed pet detects negative changes in the human energy field and tries to weaken or nullify them as much as possible. So, he draws negative energy onto himself, thereby helping a person to avoid illnesses and problems. This property is attributed primarily to black cats, which is why superstitious people are so afraid to meet them on their way.

Cats lie down on a sore spot – true or myth?

Many cat owners are ready to confirm that their cat or cat finds a person’s weak spot on its own and lies on it, but why and how the animal does this remains a mystery. Let’s try to lift the veil of secrecy of feline nature and explain this phenomenon.

First of all, it can be explained as follows. When a human organ hurts, in most cases it indicates inflammation. Inflammation is most often accompanied by an increase in the temperature of the affected organ, which means that the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe human body where it is located becomes hotter. Therefore, a cat, choosing a warmer place for itself, lies down where the owner hurts.

In addition, a keen sense of smell and impeccable hearing allow cats to pick up microwaves that are inaccessible to human hearing. Due to this, they feel the vibrations emanating from a person in general and parts of his body in particular, and recognize changes in them (blood flow, the work of internal vessels and organs).

In support of the fact that cats lie down precisely on a sore spot, various scientific studies say. By the way, the very treatment of various human diseases with the help of a cat is called feline therapy.

Given all this, we can agree that cats show us where the problem is in the body. There are also specific cases, we will consider them in more detail.

If a cat or cat lies on a person’s stomach or chest

A signal to check the heart and intestines can be a regular cat adjacency to the areas of the body where they are located. If a cat lies on a person’s chest and sleeps there, it may be signaling a malfunction of the cardiovascular system, but if the cat chooses the stomach for location, pay attention to the work of the stomach or intestinal tract.

The cat lies on its feet

If your mustachioed pet has taken to lying on your legs, then he most likely feels unhealthy vibrations emanating from them. In some cases, this may be due to disruption of the joints and veins, so you should make sure that there are no problems. The pet also fits on healthy legs for medicinal purposes, only in this case, with the help of purring and its warmth, it tries to relax them and relieve the accumulated tension.

The cat lies on its head

Instead of wondering why the cat climbed on your head, think of it not as a prank, but as a serious intention. By choosing your head as a place to sleep, the pet could thereby indicate a violation of the work of cerebral vessels or help you relieve a headache. It also often indicates intracranial “heat” due to the stress experienced by a person. With this disease, the cat also helps the owner to cope.

Is it safe to sleep in the same bed as a cat?

There is an opinion that cats and cats prefer one particular person, which is why they mostly sleep next to the owners, and not with all household members in turn. The real owner, chosen by the cat as a partner for sleep, has a special responsibility: he must take care of the pet best of all – feed, play, stroke and pay as much attention as possible.

However, like any living organism, a cat can be exposed to diseases and be their carrier, so you should think about how safe it is to share your bed with a furry pet.

Pros

• Feeling comfortable

  Being in bed together before and during sleep has a beneficial effect on the health of both. So the pet and the owner give each other a sense of security, comfort and warmth, a sense of care for each other and closeness. Both are at rest, relax and sleep better.

• emotional health

  One of the reasons why cats like to sleep on a human is to make up for the time they spend without their owner. Loneliness for cats threatens with despondency and depression, therefore, letting the cat into his bed, the owner gives her the opportunity to be with him. The cat, in turn, removes the tension accumulated during the day from the owner and calms him down, acting as a purring anti-stress.

• Benefits of purring

  There is no confirmation of this in medicine yet, but there is an assumption that the cat’s purr is a special vibration, the frequency of which helps to relieve pain and spasms. When the cat lies down on your sore stomach and purrs, the pain becomes less severe and relief comes.

• Healing wool

  It consists in the impulses emanating from the cat when the hairs are rubbed against each other. These impulses have a healing effect and are able to relieve a person of pain or lower its level. So, if a cat lies on a woman’s stomach on critical days, within 15-30 minutes the pain noticeably decreases, and sometimes even disappears.

• Warming effect

  When cats lie down on a person, sometimes they do not purr immediately, but only when they warm up and relax. The owner serves as a source of heat for the cat, just like the cat does for the owner. This heat exchange benefits and comforts both.

Cons

In addition to the positive aspects of spending time together in bed with a cat, there are also negative ones. Among the most common are the following:

• Possibility of infection

  Like any other living organism, a cat can be a carrier of various infectious diseases. So, with close contact with an animal, there is a risk of infection.

• Linen soiled

  Despite the fact that cats are very clean pets and constantly lick themselves, bacteria accumulate on their paws, particles of dirt and debris can stick to them. There is a high probability that some of them will be in your bed.

• The severity of parting

  A pet accustomed to sleeping with you will have a harder time enduring separation if suddenly he or you are admitted to the hospital or, due to illness, he needs to sleep separately.

• Risk of injury

  First of all, it concerns small kittens. The owner can inadvertently crush the baby, and the kitten, having not yet learned to keep its claws to itself, can scratch the owner. An adult can also leave a trace of claws, which sometimes releases them in a dream or while stretching.

• hair dominance

  It is common for a cat to leave hair in places where he sleeps, even during normal times, not to mention the molting period. When a cat lies on its chest and purrs, the owner does not think about it, however, the cat hair left on it gets into the mouth and nose of the sleeper, sticks to the body and can cause allergies.

Prevention

The easiest way to avoid the above troubles is to separate your sleeping places. It is only necessary to accustom a pet to its own couch from childhood. A cat that sleeps next to a person for a long time gets used to it and does not understand why the owner suddenly forbids climbing onto the bed.

A preventive measure of diseases (and their possible transfer) is a regular visit to the veterinarian, testing and careful monitoring of the owner of the pet.

If your cat is a fluffy breed, brushing it regularly will help reduce the amount of hair it leaves on the bed.

July 30 2021

Updated: 15 June 2022