Admit it: You're guilty of NOT disturbing a sleeping pet!

[Shakes]

Yeah, so the other day I go to take a short nap only to discover my cat is sleeping on MY side of the bed. Instead of pushing her to the side like I should have, I opt to just sleep on the other side. -And if that weren't bad enough; I had to go to my closet and pull out another blanket because she was sleeping on mine.

So why do I feel guilty for disturbing a sleeping pet?!

I mean let's face it, these little bastards live a charmed life. All they ever do is eat, sleep and poop! While I bust my ass all week at work!

Next time I'm faced with this predicament; That cats gotta go!


not!

[leandroc76]

Cats have an incredible gift for getting what they want. Something that dogs should learn from. Our cat for example requires a daily petting the moment we come home from work, and if we forget to pet him, he'll remind us incessantly until we do.

When I am glued to my computer playing poker he always silently approaches my chair and extends a paw whilst letting out a half of a meow to tell me he wants to be brushed or petted.

It's a shame, because I never say no. Who's the master?

[twickster]

What I hate is the control he exerts when I'm not even awake. I have woken up many a morning to find myself squished into one corner of the bed while The King is sprawled diagonally across the middle of the mattress. He's a 12-pound cat, for crying out loud!

[Pixisis]

When Pixel decides to nap in my lap i don't move for anything short of an emergency. There have been times when i can barely walk by the time he's done. A couple of times i had to get up to avoid bursting my bladder. i apologized profusely for disturbing him.

[cardsfan1975]

No way will I inconvenience any of our cats just to make myself more comfortable. I think it's because if I do, I'll come home one day to find that they have locked me and Tiggrkitty out of the house. Why would she be locked out of the house? Because they know she would let me in!

My cats have trained me well.

[radar]

Afterall, cats are people too!

[/radar]

cf'75

[scr4]

Originally Posted by twickster

What I hate is the control he exerts when I'm not even awake. I have woken up many a morning to find myself squished into one corner of the bed while The King is sprawled diagonally across the middle of the mattress. He's a 12-pound cat, for crying out loud!

I know what you mean. I've got two dogs. Sometimes I wake up to find myself sleeping in an S shape - one dog pushing at my leg from the right, and the other from the left side of my upper body.

[SnakesCatLady]

My husband doesn't like it when I let Yogi in to sleep with us - Yogi will lie down between us with his back to me and push against Mr. SCL with all four feet. Or walk across him to get to me.

[Misnomer]

Originally Posted by Pixisis

When Pixel decides to nap in my lap i don't move for anything short of an emergency.

I was like that with my Smokey, too. It was rare for her to want to sleep on my lap, so when she did I wouldn't move unless I really had to.

[zelie zelerton]

Feh - i've had to suffer a whole extra hour snoozing in bed on Sunday morning cos Finn was still sleeping on my head.

You guys don't know what hardship is

[clairobscur]

Originally Posted by twickster

What I hate is the control he exerts when I'm not even awake. I have woken up many a morning to find myself squished into one corner of the bed while The King is sprawled diagonally across the middle of the mattress. He's a 12-pound cat, for crying out loud!

I don't own a cat but I had this experience with one of the cats of an ex. Each time I slept at her place, I would wake up with my head resting on the mattress, while the cat was sleeping on my pillow. I just don't know how it pulled this trick.

[Robot Arm]

My mom used to have a cat that would sleep curled up in my lap, and if I was very careful I could pick her up, move out of the way and put her back down in the same spot without waking her up.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I don't go out of my way to not disturb the cat unless she's asleep at my feet. She likes to snooze under my computer chair, so I have to careful not to roll over her tail. Again.

[whiterabbit]

I know a six-pound cat who can hog a king-size bed, so I have no idea how they do it, but it's obviously not a function of size alone. She's goooood.

[Anaamika]

I can never participate properly in these threads, but I will say I have stepped very carefully around the turtle tank when he is out on the rock and sunning himself. If I don't he will JUMP! back inside the water, going PLOP!

[Anne Neville]

I've done this.

But I've also woken Luna up when she seemed to be having a nightmare. She was sleeping on the couch. All of a sudden, she started moving her paws rapidly, and her tail fluffed up, like it does when she is awake and scared of something. I shook her gently to wake her up, because I didn't like the thought of my baby having a nightmare. I will always wonder what she was dreaming about that made her get so scared.

[Antigen]

My cat has me well trained. There are two desk chairs in my room, and one is more comfortable. When he's on the comfy one, I never have the heart to shove him off. I pull up the uncomfy chair instead. Actually, if I'm in the comfy one when he arrives looking for a nap, he'll stare at me with just the right expression... and most of the time I'll get up.

Guess what chair I'm in right now?

[rocking chair]

yeah, i will contort myself around a sleeping cat.

however if one of the furry girls are belly up, i must exclaim "BELL___LY FUR" in a sing-song voice, and rub the exposed tummy.

nod the naughty usually will awaken quickly, pointy side up, when rubbed.

malenka the miraculous will enjoy the rub for a bit. and depending on mood, either give your hand and arm a squeezy hug; or awaken pointy side up.

[Revtim]

When I go to my bedroom at night, the Pomeranian I occasionally take care of jumps up on the bed onto the pillow, right in the middle where I lay down. After I'm done washing the face and brushing the teeth, I have to move him, and I always feel guilty. As the OP points out, this guilt is ridiculous. But there it is.

[Kiminy]

I, on the other hand, DO move a sleeping cat if it's in my way. One of our cats loves to sleep on the chair in front of the computer. Since we have provided him with a substantial number of kitty-friendly sleeping spots, and he has several other spots that he also chooses to sleep in, I will unceremoniously pick him up if I need to sit in that particular chair.

I will also move a sleeping cat if it happens to be sleeping in the wrong place. I LIKE having a cat sleeping on the bed with me. If I wake up and discover that the bed is catless, I will get up and hunt down the cat, then carry him to our bed to sleep for the rest of the night. He purrs madly whenever I do this, so I think he actually appreciates knowing that I care enough to hunt him down and move him to the bed with me.

[neofishboy]

A cat that's asleep is also a cat that's not saying CAN I EAT? I WANNA EAT NOW! I WANNA GO OUT! NO NO I WANNA COME INNNN! OH WHY WON'T YOU LET ME IN?!??

Given this, I am rarely inclined to wake the cat when it's sleeping. However, if it falls asleep on its back with its legs splayed in all directions, I feel it is my duty to teach it the folly of leaving oneself open to attack.

(On a marginally-related note: Has anyone else walked into a bathroom, noticed the cat using the litterbox, muttered an embarrassed "Whoops...sorry" and walked out again?)

[Kitchen Wench]

Originally Posted by Kiminy

I will also move a sleeping cat if it happens to be sleeping in the wrong place. I LIKE having a cat sleeping on the bed with me. If I wake up and discover that the bed is catless, I will get up and hunt down the cat, then carry him to our bed to sleep for the rest of the night. He purrs madly whenever I do this, so I think he actually appreciates knowing that I care enough to hunt him down and move him to the bed with me.

Oh yeah... I've got to have my Norman when I go to bed. All I have to do is call his name and he comes trotting down the hall with me. He sleeps on the corner of the bed, next to my head with his back to me. I scratch his belly and he puts his left leg on top of my arm. I think it's the combination of his soft fur and purring that allows me to drift off into dreamland.

Oooh, almost bedtime. "Norrrrr-meeee!"

[PapSett]

Has somebody been watching me??

Yes , I admit it. If one of the dogs or cats falls asleep snuggled up with me, I am stuck there till they decide to move.

Ah , the things I put up with as a pet owner...

[Sarah Woodruff]

My dog basically owns the sofa. He even knows how to push the throw-cushions around until they're in the right position to nestle under his neck, while he propes his head up on one arm of the sofa. That way he can watch the kitchen - just in case it might be worth moving.

He can stay in that position all day.

[delphica]

Three things I will never understand:

When sleeping in bed with two people and one cat, why we each get 1/3 of the bed. The cat is only 15 lbs, and short! Yet, he still manages to get 1/3 of the bed, sometimes more.

When a cat is sleeping on you, and you are enjoying it and would like him to stay, any TINY movement on your part, like scratching your nose or reaching for your water glass, will cause the cat to wake up, jump off you, and then go sit and sulk and stare at you like you are a vile cat abuser, BUT, when a cat is sleeping on you and you really need to use the bathroom, or get more chips, or administer CPR, and so you are sort of hoping the cat will decide to get up of his own volition, NOTHING will rouse him. Wiggling in your seat, gentle pushes, loud noises, a stampede of wild bison through the living room ... he sleeps through it all.

When he's sleeping in bed, I won't disturb him, however, if I'm up and about in the house, and he's sleeping in a very cute manner in some out-of-the-way area that isn't bothering me AT ALL, I cannot resist going over and giving him a big snuggle, which is very clearly disturbing him because he does the sulk and glare routine.

[Hal Briston]

Four cats and a dog.

"Move it, or be sat on" is my rule of thumb. Guess I'm the heartless one here today.

[Little Bird]

At this moment I am sitting on the verrrry edge of my chair as a tiny ball of fluff is taking up the rest of the seat.

I believe that we benefit from the "Do not disturb the cat" rule just as much as they do. I mean, in my family when I was growing up, if it was time to set the table, or take out the trash or do anything else the only excuse that was gauranteed to get you out of it every time was "But there's a cat on me!" No one was to disturb the cat "furniture." Also--how many times are you sitting or laying there, totally comfy, watching TV or whatever and you think to yourself "Ya know, I should really get up and work out. Or pay bills. Or call my Mother in Law." But instead you stay right where you are, because if you move you'll disturb the cat.

[uglybeech]

Originally Posted by leandroc76

Cats have an incredible gift for getting what they want.

That's no joke. I don't have a cat. I don't even like cats. And look what a strange cat was able to do to me: I spotted him tresspassing in my backyard near my favorite cardinals' nest. I open the door and yell shoo to get rid of him. Instead clever kitty trots up to my door puts his paws on it meowing adorably. His cute little eyes hypnotize me or somethng so next thing I know I've opened the door again and he's trotted his way into the kitchen. I pick him up and he's purring like a feline maniac. I try to put him outside again and he just turns around and heads right back in. I almost feed him and pet him before I snap out of his spell and realize that's just going to encourage him to come back and harrass the cardinals. Out he goes. But I feel like a guilty soulless animal abuser the whole day.

[Obsidian]

Originally Posted by neofishboy

(On a marginally-related note: Has anyone else walked into a bathroom, noticed the cat using the litterbox, muttered an embarrassed "Whoops...sorry" and walked out again?)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this.

[ouryL]

My dog slept at my head, between the wall and the pillow.

[metj]

The rule in our house is that if the cat is sitting/sleeping on your lap, you don't have to get up for anything. The spouse has to get the drinks, popcorn, phone, turn the heat up, etc.

We fight for the affection of our cat.

[SnootQueen]

If I had a cat and it violated my bedspace *obnoxiously* in any way, I'd kick it to the wall. But if my puppy wanted to cuddle/snuggles with me in anyway, she'd get her way. Puppies are just way cooler than cats.

[xbuckeye]

I must be strange. When my cat is sleeping, I consider it my right, if not my duty to wake it up. She's to cute...I absolutely must rub her little pink nose and her velvety soft ears and tell her so. Usually, she rolls tummy-up so I can pet her soft belly fluff too. And she purrs...

[D_Odds]

I've had cats, and I have ferrets, and I am NOT guilty of this offense. With all that gets done for these self-propelled furballs, I will NOT cede my bed, chair, etc. to one of them. Every so often, I have to remind them they're not totally in charge (only mostly).

[jsgoddess]

We have 9 cats, so if you aren't willing to move a cat you won't ever be able to walk inside the house.

Orson always decides to curl up on my side of the bed minutes before I need to go to sleep. It is his function. I do shove him out of the way, though it takes some muscle. He weighs 20 pounds but when he doesn't want to move it's somehow 60 pounds. Cat-gravity.

[Dung Beetle]

We don't wake cats in our house, but if we see one in the litterbox we rouse the household thusly: "Hey everybody! Lloyd's poooooo-ping!" Then we gather to laugh and point. They hate that.

I was almost late for work yesterday because I was loath to interrupt a spirited game of roach hockey that was being held in the shower stall.

[silenus]

My problem is that each cat has a different side she prefers. I'll have a cat snuggled up against a hip on one side, and the other cat lounging against my thigh on the other. Makes it very difficult to put the moves on the wife without meows of indignation.

Of course, I never listen to them.

[Uvula Donor]

: poke : Move it, dog.

: poke : Move it, dog.

: poke : Move it, dog.

: POKE : Dammit, MOVE

: Dog grudgingly gets up and moves :

My animals lead a more leisurely life than I. Therefore, they can get the hell out of my way.

[Amazon Floozy Goddess]

My cat seems to really beg for attention whenever I'm working on something cumbersome. For instance, I've been making a dress for the past week. Last night I was sitting on the couch with the dress on my lap, hemming the bottom, and Emma jumped up and blocked my view of my work with her whole body. Then she stood on my arm so I couldn't sew anymore. All the while she's leaning against me, purring loudly, with this attitude of, "Forget that shit. Pay attention to meeeee!"

[butler1850]

Sound like my house around here.

2 adults, 2 cats, 1 baby.

Put all the creatures in the bed, and you end up with:

Wife 1/3, Cats 1/3, baby 1/6, husband the last 1/6th along the edge of the matress.

And I'm the BIGGEST creature on the bed!!!

-Butler

[SnakesCatLady]

Ah, yes. Cat gravity. No scientist will admit it exists (except those that are owned by cats). How my dainty little Sugar Magnolia (who is still barely larger than a kitten even though she is almost 2) can suddenly weigh 50 pounds when I need to get up...

[Infovore]

Originally Posted by Snakescatlady

Ah, yes. Cat gravity. No scientist will admit it exists (except those that are owned by cats). How my dainty little Sugar Magnolia (who is still barely larger than a kitten even though she is almost 2) can suddenly weigh 50 pounds when I need to get up...

Cat gravity, indeed. I highly recommend the book to catlovers--the illustrations are very cute, and the text is so true!

[Tentacle Monster]

I once read that Mohammed cut his sleeve off rather than disturb a cat that was sleeping on it.

I try not to disturb cats unduly, but I have no qualms about eviciting a kitty from a chair. The Innocent Schoolgirl's roommate, however, has a cat named Wells Fargo. He's a handsome and loving kitty, and one day he decided to occupy the chair in front of the roommate's computer. She moved him, only to have W-F reclaim it as soon as she got up. She went and got another chair (she uses cheap folding chairs and just happened to have another of the same kind on hand.) and sat in that one instead. Now, there's two chairs in front of her computer: one for her, and one for Wells Fargo.

[SisterCoyote]

My parents' boy dog is a serious cuddler. If you get up on "his" couch, he will curl up against you, with his head on your knee.

And fall asleep, head getting heavier, and heavier. But that's okay, even when he's knocked your leg out completely (asleep all the way to where his head is).

It's the fact that he drools, and his nose runs, that causes issues. Because you can't just /move/ him...

[Kalhoun]

My husband was trapped in the recliner just last night. He had one on his lap and the other was sleeping under the foot extension, so he couldn't close the recliner to get up and get something. Well, of COURSE I dropped what I was doing and came to his aid, waiting on him hand and foot so he wouldn't disturb the 22-pound wheezing behemoth.

[nonacetone]

Our oldest cat, Arlene, is eleven years old. I had been recovering from my recent hysto and was laying in bed, and Arlene was sleeping with me at the time. I needed to get out of bed to use the bathroom, and so as not to disturb her, I had to manuver myself into a few odd positions to get out of bed. It wasn't exactly comfortable to do, but I managed to get out of bed and go on to the bathroom, without disturbing her.

It seems that, when I stretched my legs getting out of bed, I somehow tore/opened up one or two (or more) of the sutures inside my vagina (In the area where the cervix used to be) and bled quite profusely until I could get to my gyno's office to have it 'fixed' that day.

[Wolfgrrl]

After Glenn got out of the hospital last year, I slept on the couch several times because he was in my bed and I felt even more guilty than usual about moving him. He no longer lets me make my bed in the morning; I have to make a little nest out of the blankets for him to sleep on during the day. He will loudly mrroww if it's not fixed just right. Since we have to monitor how much he eats in order to judge his insulin dose, he is actually in the living room most of the day while the other cats are shut in the bedrooms with their own food, water and litterbox, so there is also a second blankie-nest on the couch. Now when I go to bed I will carefully lift him, pull the blankets up, and put him back where he was. Sometimes he'll stay, sometimes this causes him to find some other place to sleep.

Allessandro has too short an attention span to really bother with this. You can shove him off the chair guilt-free because he'll forget that he was on it as soon as he hits the floor.

Riverbed will usually make room if she's in the bed. If, however, I am laying on the couch and she decides to nap on my stomach, forget it. She's defintely the type that if I sneeze, she'll run away, but if I really need to get up, nothing will dislodge her. She also has a habit of doing this so that her butt is in my face or tucked under my chin.