Is your best friend a part of the family? Surely! It's amazing how many people consider their cats and dogs to be furry relatives that are so special that they get birthday presents, christmas presents, and even a spot on the bed!
About 80% of all pet owners allow their dogs and cats to share the bed when it's cold outside, and more than 50% of those owners let their furry friend share the pillow with them. What are the pros and cons of this sharing nature?
- Your cat may be clean, but still steps in his or her litter box. Dogs, on the other hand, appear to be anything but hygienic when it comes to toilet matters! This could spread germs and bacteria to your bed, and even a bit of a bad smell from time to time.
- Your cat and dog could be carrying fleas, which means that you could soon be hopping mad with itchy bites all night long! Be sure to check your pet often for signs of fleas and flea eggs, and check your bed to make sure that you are safe.
- Your pet could be a special breed that is unable to keep sufficiently warm at night, so they seek out other sources of heat like your happily sleeping body. This works in your favour too because there is nothing quite as snugly warm as your very own furry hot water bottle pooch or teddy bear cat!
- cats and dogs get up a lot earlier than people, although some dogs tend to lie in, so make sure that you are up early enough to let them go outside. Also, your kitty might wake up in the middle of the night and decide that he wants to play: this could get very dangerous for your hands and feet!
- All pets are bed hoggers, and will take up as much space as you let them. Be sure to train your pet to sleep at your feet rather than in the middle or at your head so that you get enough sleeping space and you don't accidentally roll over onto them when having a bad dream.
- and finally, about bad dreams, dogs and cats both experience a similar dreaming function to us humans, which means they can bark, meow, purr, kick and twitch during their sleep which can keep you up when you're trying to sleep, or even give you an unexpected fright! Be sure to check your pet's sleeping habits before you let them into your snugly haven!
