2 Cats sleeping on my pillow. Help!

one of my cats like to do that too... she will also try to lick my face before I sleep and I think she just want to clean me and I deeply appreciate her affection... still, sleeping on my pillow and licking my face is probably not the most sanitary thing - I don't mind her sleeping in my bed, but sleeping on my pillow is tough... so now I close my room door and provide her own comfy cushions on the sofa so she now sleeps there but I still have to close my room door.

I don't know how to help you. Bijou likes to start off sleeping on top of my head on the pillow but soon moves down under my chin and against my chest.

tough one... my boy is like that, but only for a short period of time... I'll get into that later. he will want to be close to my face, on my pillow, his nose to my nose, to my lips, to my chin, and he's stong and pushes with all his might.

Did you teach them to be with you? I made that 'mistake' with my first cat, I called him when he was young to come to me in bed, carried him with me to go to sleep and it stuck... so much, that I think I developed a permanent soft spot on my back from him snuggling with me all night.

With my two new siblings, I made no such attempts from the start when they arrived day 1. When it was time to go to sleep, I went into the bedroom, door open, but all lights shut off, got under blankets and laid as still as a mouse, not talking, no noise. I think it worked...

He will come and nuzzle, but will go and sleep with my kitty girl, for the whole night... somewhere else! what joy, no more waking up at night when they venture in and out, want love, play, etc.... but sometimes I'm afraid they do it now just because they're still young, and when they lose their wild side, they'll want me to share my bed, pillows, etc.

Put a SSSCAT right behind the door threshold to the bedroom, that's what I did.

Although now that they are older, and Buttercup hasn't stepped in her poo since kittenhood, I took away the bedroom banishment.

They now sleep out of the way by my feet on top of a fuzzy blanket there, but take off if I roll around too much. Only annoyance now is that sometimes Wesley tries to wake me, but so far not persistent enough to earn his banishment.

I don't know what advice to give you. All of mine have self designated areas at the foot of the bed by the dogs. If I am sick, one of the females sleeps on my head but only when I'm sick. It's been a household joke that Bitz is hatching my head.

If you still want them on the bed, or in the bedroom with you, putting some strips of Sticky Paws double sided tape on the pillow would drive them off there. After a few nights they'd give up the pillow, probably. Of course you couldn't use it during the time you are training them. And your hair could get caught in the tape, OW!

I've read that people have had success using that plastic bumpy rug liner stuff they sell at home improvement stores. You could try a piece of that on the pillow to train them to keep off it. Bumpy side goes up.


Robin

Something else I just thought of that you can try. A lot of cats don't like to have air blown on them. You could try blowing air on their faces (from your mouth) and see if that gets them to move off the pillow. If it does, you'll have to keep doing it every time. Training cats takes time and consistency. If they settle on the bed in a place you want them, praise them, pat them, maybe even give them a treat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. . .

Robin

Welcome to TCS, Mossas!

Can you hog the pillow so there's no room for the kitties? Put your head as close to one end as possible, then turn the pillow just enough so that you can tuck the other end under your shoulder/chest/belly (depending on how big the pillow is).

Of course, this only works if you sleep on your tummy.

Good luck!

AC

ahh, just get a larger pillow

I have a Buckwheat pillow - he likes that the best.

I'm no help here, I have one, the oldest (the black one, KiKi), that has his place in the bed - usually in the middle where he stretches out.

He must have a pillow for his head, and he shares mine.

Sometimes he puts his front paws around my neck and puts his cheek on mine and purrs me to sleep.

So, I'm of no help, sorry.

Can't help you, sorry. I let my cats sleep wherever they want, even on my pillow. My RB kitty Chynna used to sleep right beside my head. And before we both fell asleep we would "mutually groom" one another. I had my right arm bent at the elbow so it was on the pillow beside my head. Chynna would nestle down with the top of her body laying on my hand. She would lick my nose and I would scrach her chin and cheeks. Eventually she would put her head down on my hand while I gently rubbed her cheeks and we would both go to sleep.

Hey Mossas,

I, like the others, may not be much help. I'm not sure how much you enjoy cuddling with your cats - besides (understandably) not to the extent of tails in your mouth and fur up your nose.

Personally, I was overjoyed when my second cat (Lexi, four years ago) and my new kitten (Lily, now) seemed inclined to cuddle at bedtime. My first cat Lanie has generally been more aloof, and I was looking for a snuggle cat with my second. And, as I didn't want Lexi sleeping on my head, I added another pillow to my bed - one for me, one for Lexi. I only used half of my bed anyways. She figured it out quickly, and from then on I had a human pillow and a furry pillow.

When my fiance moved in, however, she got kicked (not literally) to the foot of the bed. Now that I'm sleeping single again (the fiance now being an ex-fiance) she's remained comfortably at the foot of the bed, while my first cat Lanie decided this cuddling thing wasn't so bad - providing I don't try to hold her - and has taken up residence at my side. Now the new kitten Lily is sleeping curled under my arm or near (but not ON) my head, so I guess I got lucky on her respect of personal space.

One idea is that, if for some reason your cats are as paranoid about being restrained as Lanie was, you could see if holding them (say, by your chest rather than your head) would deter them from wanting to try to cuddle so close at night. Maybe they'd decide a bit of distance - like out of arm's reach - is a better choice. But if you're cool with them being on your bed, leave them be once they're no longer camping out on your pillow.

Good luck!
Lauren, Lanie, Lexi, and Lily

Parker never really slept with his whole body on my pillow, but just his head. I had to discourage this though because he drools in his sleep...and rolling my face into fresh, warm cat drool wasn't very pleasant.

But I sleep with my pillows at an angle so most of the "free space" is more near my chest and since my arm goes there, it doesn't leave him room. I don't allow him on my pillow even when I am awake though, so he knows its off limits at all times. (His fine hair sticks to the pillow case so I end up eating it and snorting it). Any time I caught him on it, a quick squirt with the water bottle and he'd bolt. He caught on in no time. If I got some water on my pillow, I'd just turn it over before bed lol.