Kitten safe when sleeping?

euterpe

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I thought this was more appropriate here than anywhere else. Sorry if it should have gone elsewhere though.

I'll start off with what happened last night. Probably not needed but, need to say it because it scared me so badly.

Libby (our 13 week old kitten) has just started sleeping in our room with my husband and I. She gets up to mischeif at first but always ends up on our bed snuggled up against something.

Last night I woke up at about 2:30am, looked for her and noticed her curled up in a ball between my husband and I. We were both on our sides, facing away from each other and she was between our backs. The thing is, I couldn't see her breathing, which i usually can when she's on her side. So I thought it was ok, i'd be able to feel it. I put my hand on her and... nothing :| I started to panick and froze for a minute. I put my hand back there and still could not feel any breathing at all.

I picked her up to make sure she was really ok and after a second she started purring and moved her leg. I was so relieved. I just held her to me for about 5 minutes. I know this all sounds so dumb, but it being 2:30 I was exactly my most lucid at the time and it truly scared me.

This gets me on to my question. Is she going to be ok sleeping with us? I know many people whose kittens sleep with them, even younger than Libs, but it just scared me so much! If she would sleep at the bottom of the bed then it'd be fine but she sleeps on and off, and when she does she's usually curled up right against one of us, in the cosiest spot she can find.

Obviously in her awake times, if something was coming towards her or about to hit her, she'd run. But if she's asleep and one of us rolled onto her or lifted a limb up and put it down on her... ugh. I don't like to imagine :|

Am I just being paranoid now because I had a fright, or is she really as fragile as I think and we should take more steps to make sure she doesn't sleep between us like that?
 

libby74

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First, I love your kitty's name!
Second, we have 2 11-week old sisters, and there is no way I'd let them sleep with us. Aside from the obvious "lets-run- &- jump- half -the -night"
scenario, I'd be scared to death one of us would roll on top of them. The little one is barely 2#; my hubby is 100x heavier. It scares me to think what could happen. Maybe I worry too much, but I wouldn't let Libby sleep with you 'til she's bigger.
 

muppet

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Although there is nothing nicer than cuddling up with a little fur ball, as responsible parents we need to think about what is best for our cats.
Doctors are always advising mothers not to let babies sleep in the same bed as them, and also not to fall asleep while breast feeding. Babies are a lot bigger than kittens yet accidents still happen. Your husband might not even notice if he rolled over onto Libby so for Libbyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s sake get a basket and train her to sleep in it.
Sorry if this sounds harsh.
Good Luck
 
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euterpe

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It doesn't sound harsh at all. Well, in a way because now I feel awful for letting her sleep with us and not being more responsible. I just went by what friends have said. The people who took her sister let her sleep on their bed from 9 weeks old, another friend had his cat sleeping on his bed from that age too.

But in another way i'm glad you both said this, because now it validates how I feel. Else I would have continued letting her sleep there and it would have disturbed my sleep. I woke up every 20 minutes last night after it happened because I was worried about how she was.

Thank you both for your replies.
 

mirinae

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Our cats sleep with us, and have done so since they were kittens. Spike will typically sleep at my feet (running the risk of being kicked if I have a nightmare), whereas Oz will snuggle between my boyfriend and I, usually just below shoulder level. My boyfriend is over 6' tall and both muscular and on the heavy-set side, and while I'm short (a little over 5'), I'm also overweight, so neither of us can be considered "light." We have rolled over onto our cats, and believe me, they have always been very good at letting us know that this has happened! At no point has any cat ever been smothered in our home.
(I also used to live with another couple and their two cats, and they were both overweight as well. We've sat on the cats, rolled over on the cats, stepped on the cats -- none of it intentionally, but in a house with six cats, it's hard to find a room where there isn't a cat nearby or underfoot.)

Cats are not human babies. If you roll over onto them, they're going to wake up, no matter how deeply they were sleeping (and cats can be pretty light sleepers), and they're not going to just lie there and expect you to move. (Well, okay, they might at first. I knew one cat who, when you sat on him, would just patiently sit underneath you and wait for you to realize your error and move. But if they're actually in trouble, they won't just lie under you and wait for you to get up -- they'll squirm, they'll make noise, they may bite or claw you if they're really unhappy.)

I admit, when Spike and Oz first started sleeping with us, I had the same worries you have, and I would have a hard time sleeping when one of them was on the bed. Eventually I realized the cats were okay and could handle a little squishing now and then. If it worries you enough that you find yourself unable to sleep, then keep the cat off the bed or try to move her to your feet, where she'll be less likely to get squished. And if you're a deep enough sleeper that you won't notice your cat pushing at you (or biting or clawing you) when you roll over onto her, keep the cat off the bed. Keep her at your feet or in a basket on the floor beside your bed (Oz likes to sleep on the floor beside me, whereas Spike likes the top of my boyfriend's dresser -- both spots are well within petting distance), and when she gets older and bigger, welcome her back to the snuggly spot between you.
 

sparkie

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My little guy Orion is 12 weeks old and he sleeps right between my husband's and my pillows (or on the pillows). I'd say that's the safest, happiest place for a kitty to be, but if you're worried about rolling over on your furbaby, maybe you could put a little blanket next to your bed for her?
 

karabear

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My Kitty sleeps on one our pillows, usually my man's. She perches right above his head. She will start the night above mine but I think I move around too much so she always switches sides.
 

rumpleteazer

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My Teazer has slept with me since I got her at about 6 weeks old, and she was the runt of the litter. She's 13 and she still does. In fact, she loves it when I make a tent out of my blankets and curls right up against my body under the covers. I make sure she has a direct flow of fresh air (if I can't see her face when I peak down there, it's not ok). She usually moves to the foot when I fall asleep and start tossing and turning. And she most certainly says something when she gets smooshed.


Still, though I've had her 13 years, I still find myself stopping and checking on her, even when she's sleeping on her pillow on the dresser. And she still scares me by lying absolutly still!
But I find that I'm more alert than I would think. My body is subconciously aware of hers on the bed.
 

bella713

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In a state of misery w/o my Bella
Bella has slept on my pillow next to my head since the day she came home with me.She was 12 weeks old. She used to put her paws on my shoulder with her body on my pillow till she got bigger and then just put her whole body on my pillow..I never had a problem but I am not a heavy sleeper, that would make a difference!!!
 

jaycee

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Originally Posted by muppet

Although there is nothing nicer than cuddling up with a little fur ball, as responsible parents we need to think about what is best for our cats.
Doctors are always advising mothers not to let babies sleep in the same bed as them, and also not to fall asleep while breast feeding. Babies are a lot bigger than kittens yet accidents still happen. Your husband might not even notice if he rolled over onto Libby so for Libbyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s sake get a basket and train her to sleep in it.
Sorry if this sounds harsh.
Good Luck
my doctors never warned me not to sleep with my babies, they actually said its practically impossible that a mother would roll over onto her baby even in a dead sleep. as far as your kitten sleeping in between you and your husband i would be afraid for that.
 

jen

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See I am the opposite of the first few posts. I also don't think you can compare this to a human baby. Cats sleep a lot but they wake really easily. You will not roll on top of your cat and if you did she would probably move out of the way before you even settled into place. I have had all my cats sleep with me whereever they want since I got them as kittens and never had a problem. Even now, they usually don't even care if I roll onto them. I have never heard of someone crushing their cat to the point of injury ever.

I think you are being paranoid honestly
They are fine you aren't going to crush them. It's funny becuase every now and then a concerned person comes on here with a similar question and it really is no big deal. Cats are usually more aware of their surroundings then you think, plus they don't sleep for long. They are perfectly fine to be in your bed. I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
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euterpe

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Oh, I know i'm being paranoid. Usually I wouldn't be, I had no problems with her sleeping with us. I had the same feelings, she'd move FAST if one of us did get ontop of her and i've never heard of someone injuring their cat by rolling on them in bed.

I really wasn't, and wouldn't be concerned, were it not for the other night. It scared me a lot, to the point that i couldn't sleep properly the rest of the night. That's all it is. I think, hope, it's understandable that i'd be wary after such a fright.

I know there was nothing really to be scared of, I know that now. But at the time I really thought my precious little LIbby wasn't breathing


Anyway, enough rambling about that. Maybe i'll reconsider. I know my husband doesn't understand how I feel and wants her to sleep with us so, I guess if losing some sleep means making him and her happy then that's what i'll do.

Thank you so much for all your replies.
 

katiemae1277

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she was most likely just in a very deep sleep when you saw her and it looked like she wasn't sleeping, as in humans, our breathing slows down when we are sleeping. I honestly try not too worry too much, I have anywhere from 4-6 cats plus a dog that sleep with me, and I've yet to squish one, I'm a very heavy sleeper, but I have a feeling that that if I were to roll over on one, i would be woken up pretty fast
I have accidentally thrown one of my kittens across the bed when I whipped off the covers when I woke up late one morning though
 

meow meow

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Euterpe -- have you ever had a baby? Your post reminded me of when we brought home our first daughter from the hospital. I put her in the cradle in our bedroom and when we went to sleep -- I did not sleep a wink! Everytime she gurgled (like babies do) or made a noise I'd wake up. FInally, we decided she needed to sleep in her nursery. So I turned on the baby monitor and put her to sleep in there. The nursery is next to our bedroom --- no monitor was needed when she cried! I could have been downstairs and still heard her.

Anyhow, when you have a newborn you are always looking for movement and making sure they are still breathing. You relax after a few months.
 
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euterpe

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That's what my husband said about her breathing (or percieved lack thereof). That she was probably breathing very shallow at the time. I feel like such a twit for being so concerned. Well, not for being concerned but, well, you know what I mean. I'm sure when i've gotten over the shock of what happened i'll be more rational about it all.

Nope, i've never had a baby. I think that's how it will be for me with Libby for a while though. After this happened the other night I found myself waking up everytime my legs got anywhere near her. It was very odd, I didn't know that even asleep I could be aware of what was going on with her.

I think after this and the way I got when I first got her (i made a post here about feeling depressed and ansious for her well being) my hubands going to ban me from having kids for the next 5 years, lol.
 

white cat lover

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Euterpe, if it makes you feel any better, my Lily was sleeping with me from the same age as your Libby is. I rolled over on her once & still have a mild scar from the nasty bite she gave me!
She let me know right away that I had rolled over on her. I think you would be safe sleeping with Libby. If you are still uncomfortable with the idea, maybe you could buy a cat bed, and put it on your bed between your pillow and your husband's pillow.
 
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euterpe

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That does make me feel a lot better actually
Bites and scratches I can deal with, as long as I know she's going to be safe.

We're going to try putting a warm blanket at the end of the bed to see if we can at least get her to move there, or possibly as you said, between our pillows. Or maybe even just between us to elevate her a bit and reduce the risk of us rolling right onto her. I'm not sure it will work though, she tends to like to be in the cosiest spot she can find, which is between my husband and I!

We're going to let her sleep in with us again. I felt awful last night shutting her out and she cried so much. I don't think I could deal with that for another night!
 

katiemae1277

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Hey, don't ever feel silly for being worried about your baby! cause that's what she is and you have every right to be concerned
I'm more worried about being smothered by my kitties than me smothering them
they are like Libby, they like to get the best spot, but unfortunately for me, that seems to be on my head
 

rumpleteazer

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Euterpe, go with what feels right for you. You need to be comfortable with the arrangments and you need to be able to get a good nights sleep.

My dog used to think it was funny to lay totally still with her eyes open and not respond when we said her name. She'd wait till we freaked out and then stand up.
Turkey! And I think she taught that trick to my cat!

Easy test, hold the tip of your finger right next to her ear, so it's just barely touching it. It tickles and she'll flick her ear and you'll know she's ok. It's reflexive and she'll do it no matter how deeply she's sleeping.
 

casa de gato

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My new baby sleeps with me just as all the others did when they were little, and still do.

When Tommy and Charlie were little I still had my OH and he was a big guy (still is but probably keeping someone else awake with his snoring now), we never squished either of them.

The new kitten snuggles into my back and Charlie snuggles into my tummy it is very comforting to have them there.

God help me if I ever meet another fella.. most nights I have at least 3 cats and a dog in my bed.. it's a king size waterbed and the night befor last I found I had no room to stretch out my legs !

I too am a light sleeper and wake a lot during the night to check on my little chap.
 
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