# How do I teach my pets not to sleep on our bed at night? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2012, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813 "2012-12-12T08:35:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/21 "2012-12-14T14:44:39Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I’m gonna miss him tonight on my bed. Harvey was only 8 when he died suddenly last month. I miss him in the bed every night. ☹ THe SO got Harvey when he was about 6 months old, and she moved in when he was 6 years old. AFAIK she never ‘trained’ him; but he knew not to wake the humans. He hated closed doors, but I put a shoe behind my door so there’s be enough space for him to get into the room but not leave the door wide open. He would not make a fuss if the humans were in bed. He’d wait quietly until feet were on the floor. I don’t know if the SO ‘trained’ him, or if that’s just the way he was. The SO did scold him from time to time (though rarely) by tapping him on the forehead with one finger and firmly saying ‘No!’, like when he would play a little rough. When he begged for his food too much (and he only liked cat food, not human food), she’d say ‘Stop whining!’ Usually that quieted him down. Harvey knew his limits, and rarely tested them. When he did test them, he knew he was ‘being bad’ and it would just take a firm word to bring him back in line. I hope we get another cat eventually. I don’t know if we’ll be able to train one to be as polite as Harvey was. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/22 "2012-12-14T15:10:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > \ > I hope we get another cat eventually. I don’t know if we’ll be able to train one to be as polite as Harvey was. I’m afraid you might not be able to - from our experience with two cats, they were as different as night and day. The one who died recently was extremely resistant to training and behaving herself; the other one is much more polite and I was able to train her (somewhat). It really seems to depend on the cat’s nature. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/23 "2012-12-14T15:31:02Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > If you’re fine with them being in the room and just want to keep them off the bed, another option after deterring them from the bed itself is to offer acceptable alternatives. Cats often prefer sleeping in elevated places, and soft places, which is why they like the furniture. Cat furniture is your next best bet. Add a nice tall cat tree with 4 or 5 large perches that are comfortable for sleeping. You can also add a cat bed to the top of the dresser or nightstand. > [@araminty](#): > > It’s easier to train a positive than a negative. So, instead of trying to train your cat to _not_ sleep on the bed, you aim to train it to sleep somewhere else. It amounts to the same result, but it gives you a positive behavior to work towards. My first inclination is to train positive (and to eschew punitive), although I admit cats are not easily trained. I suggest the elevated cat tree alternative, but _sprinkle catnip in the bed parts of the cat trees_. Refresh periodically. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/24 "2012-12-14T16:40:26Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m afraid you might not be able to - from our experience with two cats, they were as different as night and day. The one who died recently was extremely resistant to training and behaving herself; the other one is much more polite and I was able to train her (somewhat). It really seems to depend on the cat’s nature. We’ll use the local Humane Society shelter, and they’re pretty good at describing cats’ personalities on their adoption pages. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/25 "2012-12-14T16:59:03Z")
I don’t understand why you want your pets to stay awake on your bed all night. ---
**Author:** ![Phoebestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Phoebestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoebestar)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/26 "2012-12-14T21:16:18Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > If they’re afraid of the vacuum you could try what a doper in another thread suggested worked for him/her: plug the vacuum into a power strip you can reach from bed. Station vacuum just outside the bedroom door. When they yowl or scratch, lean down and turn it on for 15 seconds. Doesn’t take too long before they associate trying to get into the room with having the crap scared out of them. That may have been me? I use that, and it works pretty well. I’m a super light sleeper, but they seem to do pretty well with it with an occasional booster dose of roaring vacuum cleaner (I’m actually using a carpet cleaner now, but it’s the same thing. Roar!) This has worked for some of my friends that have tried it, too. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/27 "2012-12-14T22:11:50Z")
My cat needs to stay at the vet at least one more night. I’m gonna miss him terribly. My favorite part of having a pet sleep on the bed is that you can sneak your cold feet underneath to get them warm! Usually, my cat gets pissed off and jumps off the bed, but I can have the whole warm spot for my freezing toes! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/28 "2012-12-14T22:22:36Z")
The only solution that worked for me was to shut Horton up in another room at night. If I don’t, he meows and jams his paw under the bedroom door to rattle it violently. It was waking me up at all hours. I leave him in the mud room overnight now. He’s got food and water, a litter box, and a bed. I put him in when I go to sleep, and let him out in the morning. Do you have an extra room you could use as the cat’s “bedroom”? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/29 "2012-12-14T23:01:05Z")
I really want to thank all the posters here for providing me with so much gentle humor… I mean, cats? CATS? I am cat-free at the moment for complicated reasons but yes, I’ve shared many a sleeping position with a feline tyrant. Try scaling nearly all of these issues up to 150 and 140 pounds of Great Dane. My big boy is still not used to New England weather and settles down \*only \*when he’s on the bed. Next to me. Under the covers. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/30 "2012-12-15T05:17:52Z")
In case anyone is interested…my kitty cat is home tonight! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/31 "2012-12-15T06:31:53Z")
But are the cats on the bed really a problem for the OP? Do you know that \*your \*cats are disturbing your sleep? . > [@](#): > > It’s no wonder that 53 percent of pet owners who sleep with their pets in the bedroom have some type of disrupted sleep every night, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center in Rochester, MN. I’d be curious how many people who DON’T sleep with their pets have some type of disrupted sleep every night. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/32 "2012-12-15T06:32:55Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > In case anyone is interested…my kitty cat is home tonight! > ~VOW Hope all is well with him! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/33 "2012-12-15T06:35:09Z")
When I was a little kid, and I’d have nightmares, I always felt safer if my cat was sleeping with me. > [@VOW](#): > > In case anyone is interested…my kitty cat is home tonight! > ~VOW YAY!!! I hate it when Maggie sleeps on my feet. If I move them under the blanket, she attacks them. Better when she sleeps next to my pillow. She’s so tiny it doesn’t really matter. I don’t mind when my cats sleep with me, and right now, since it’s so freaking cold out, it’s definitely a plus. Of course my parents usually have both Luci AND Gypsy sleeping with them – and sometimes Annie as well. And Annie’s like a radiator. Gypsy usually comes in with me after she eats in the morning. She usually curls up beside me.\* My mother gets up at 4am everyday – not because she has to, but because she likes to. Yes, she’s nuts. \*Except everyone once in a while, she’ll sleep on my pillow and whack me in the face with her tail. Dammit. ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813/34 "2012-12-16T04:30:45Z")
Try marrying your dog and paying off all of her debts, as well as trusting her with your life savings. Buy her a big new dog house. Put her puppies thru expensive obedience schools. Give her a big bone every time she demands one, even if you just flew in late from an overseas business trip. Then let her catch you flirting with her sister. I did the above, and my ex wife stopped sleeping in my bed before the ink on the marriage license had dried. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-teach-my-pets-not-to-sleep-on-our-bed-at-night/643813.md?page=1)