# Admit it: You're guilty of NOT disturbing a sleeping pet! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855 "2005-09-15T20:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/1 "2005-09-15T20:54:21Z")
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. :rolleyes: 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! ---
**Author:** ![leandroc76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@leandroc76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leandroc76)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/2 "2005-09-15T21:03:23Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/3 "2005-09-15T21:05:34Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/4 "2005-09-15T21:10:43Z")
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. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cardsfan1975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/5 "2005-09-15T21:21:35Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/6 "2005-09-15T21:26:51Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/7 "2005-09-15T21:39:29Z")
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. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/8 "2005-09-15T21:42:31Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/9 "2005-09-15T22:08:57Z")
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 😉 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/10 "2005-09-15T22:14:30Z")
> [@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. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/11 "2005-09-15T22:40:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/12 "2005-09-15T22:44:57Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/13 "2005-09-15T23:40:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/14 "2005-09-16T00:11:27Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/15 "2005-09-16T00:16:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/16 "2005-09-16T00:29:26Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/17 "2005-09-16T00:35:22Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/18 "2005-09-16T00:48:47Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/19 "2005-09-16T01:22:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855/20 "2005-09-16T01:46:26Z")
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?) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admit-it-youre-guilty-of-not-disturbing-a-sleeping-pet/321855.md?page=2)