Persuading a cat to sleep on a cat bed?

Ok guys..

I love my new kitty and I love my wife's cat too, however, I don't want Pogue sleeping near my face, I am not alergic to cats, but if I am that close with one for a while - I get a lil' stuffy.. So maybe I am mildly alergic, but it's only when they are trying to get in my mouth..

Anyway, I don't mind if they lay at the bottom of the bed, and that is where Raleigh sleeps, but what I'd like to do is persuade Pogue to start sleeping in a bed next to my night stand..

I'd like to put one of those little kitty house/scratch post things in the corner, next to my night stand, but how can I persuade Pogue to sleep there or even use the silly thing?

Thanks

Jeff

Is the cat bed really soft and snuggly? Is it on the floor or level with the bed? Sometimes kitties like to be up off the floor when napping or somewhat hidden. When mine sleep on the floor they drag the blankets off the foot of the bed and hide in them.
Your cats may just prefer to snuggle with you, there's not much you can do about that unless you want to teach them to stay off the bed all together.


Just noticed in the other post that Pogue is a 3 month old kitten. She's going to want to snuggle, she's a baby.
Mine is around 6 months now and still wants a lot of snuggling and touching, I usually find him tucked up next to me when I wake up.

You could try putting a heat pad or hot water bottle (not too hot and with a fluffy cover) at the bottom of the bed in the hope that Pogue will like to snuggle up to that instead of you. That's what I do with Jaffa as he tends to lie on me rather than beside me and when I try to turn over I disturb him and he gets upset I put a hot water bottle on the other side of the bed and he curls up beside that.

Go out and buy a big fluffy stuffed animal and a fleese blanket.

Karma was 2 years old when we got her but she spent those 2 years outside and never got to cuddle anything, so when she first came in all she wanted was to cuddle us. We felt the same way you do so we went and got those things and would just put her in her bed. She woud start purring and kneeding them and fall asleep. The bed is right next to me at the same level so I can just put my hand in at anytime. Now she won't sleep anywhere else, unless the stuffed animal is not in the bed then she will find it and cuddle. We have even caught her carrying it back to her bed after a day of playing with it.

Remember the little one is just a baby and sometimes nothing is better than some living touch. Also she may like the way your heart beat reminds her of her mom.

She is still a baby, but that impulse to be near you won't go away. The hot water bottle/heating pad is a good idea if it's just the warmth she's after. A warm fleecy stuffed animal would be great (don't they make some with a heartbeat for this kind of thing?) as a surrogate.

In my case, Stan is happy at the foot of the bed, but Bella wants me (smell, heartbeat, whatever). The cat bed won't do as long as the bedroom is open. She will hop on me whenever I'm laying down (ask me about trying to do crunches on the floor last night with a 9lb furry weight on my chest). Needless to say, I love her, but I can't take rolling over and getting a face full of cat butt (even though she is the softest kitty ever).

Long story short, there's a period of "negotiation" each night (sometimes multiple times during the night) where she moves up to my head or on my face and I have to gently relocate her to a spot not on my face. Usually after 10 minutes or so she gets the message and we reach a mutually agreeable position somewhere around my stomach. This "agreement" is totally non-binding at 5 am when she taps me on the head for breakfast.

good luck. i bought a bed for abi and it wasn't until I gave up and put it ona high shelf that she started using it. So put it in a perverse place out of the way and the cat might decide to venture in. it also helps if you make it smell like your cat either by rubbing it on her or finding some of her hair and placing it in the bed.

Originally Posted by Raleigh'sParent

Ok guys..

I love my new kitty and I love my wife's cat too, however, I don't want Pogue sleeping near my face, I am not alergic to cats, but if I am that close with one for a while - I get a lil' stuffy.. So maybe I am mildly alergic, but it's only when they are trying to get in my mouth..

Anyway, I don't mind if they lay at the bottom of the bed, and that is where Raleigh sleeps, but what I'd like to do is persuade Pogue to start sleeping in a bed next to my night stand..

I'd like to put one of those little kitty house/scratch post things in the corner, next to my night stand, but how can I persuade Pogue to sleep there or even use the silly thing?

Thanks

Jeff

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Here is what happened to me when I bought my cat a bed. Yes, that is his new plush bed UNDER the drawer that he chose to sleep in! And, he has never slept in it no matter how much catnip I put in it or other coaxing. My new cat, Alley has taken over this bed however and loves it. As far as the scratching post goes, I taught Persi by taking his paws in my hands and going through all the motions for him and he finally caught on. But he STILL prefers the cheap cardboard corrugated ones that lay on the floor like a small box and so does Alley. They both use the post when they get done in the litter box, because I have the post right at the exit of the litter box, which also serves as something to wipe the litter off of their feet on.

You could also try rubbing some cat nip on the cat bed.

well I will just share my personal experience here, I have an actual little kittie bed which I got for Bella over the summer before Stormie came and well Bella didnt touch it until Stormie layed on it and well thats where bella always is or on me but I got a cat tree just recently and well thats were u will find stormie most of the time, although sometimes I do wake up with both of them on me so it doesnt work all the time but hey I love my kitties cuddling with me, so just remember u might stil wake up with the kitties on u, but more or less tmine love their cat tree and their cat bed

If you put a cat tree or a (raised) cat bed near you, your kitten will probably accept it better if it smells like you. Wear a T-shirt to bed, and then put it in the bed/tree without washing it.
A fleece blanket is a good idea, too. Jamie insisted on sleeping on my head when he was little. I put a loosely folded fleece blanket between my husband and me, and would pick up Jamie and put him there. The blanket eventually got moved to the foot of the bed, which is now his spot.

Originally Posted by Jenny82

You could also try rubbing some cat nip on the cat bed.

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That works wonders with Trout..If I put catnip on anything, she will lay on it.