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| Poppy and Ari don't share so much as dominate the bed. |
It’s getting colder, the nights are longer, and cat
owners in Australia at least may be noticing an increase in affection from
their feline companions as the temperature drops. The big question is, do you
allow pets to join you on or in the bed?
According to a 2014 survey conducted by VetStreet, most
people do. Around 83 per cent of pet owners and 75 per cent of veterinary
professionals share their bed with a non-human.
Those figures are consistent with my experience, in talking with colleagues and clients.
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| Some companions, like Cliff, prefer to sleep beside the bed. |
Interestingly, veterinary professionals were more likely
to let their cat sleep on their bed. In addition, veterinary professionals were
52 per cent more likely to allow multiple animals and species on the bed.
There were mixed responses when it came to disclosing
whether companion animals helped or hindered sleep, although many respondents
were neutral on the topic. For example, 13 per cent of veterinary professionals
and 33 per cent of non-veterinary professionals felt animals helped them sleep –
but 28 per cent of vet professionals and 14 per cent of non-veterinary professionals
found companion animals could be a hindrance to sleep. I have met more than one
client who has slept on the floor and allowed their pet to sleep on the bed.
This, it would seem to be, would put multi-species bed-sharing into the
hindrance category.
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| Older animals or those with arthritis might need a bit of help getting onto the bed. Note the stairs designed especially for Seymour. |
But is it such a simple question? Personally, after some
thorough testing at SAT HQ, we’ve established that the presence of animals in
the bed has a soporific effect til about five in the morning when said animals
feel like breakfast, at which point they definitely hinder any earnest attempt
to sleep.
There might be some issues with the figures: 2369 pet
owners responded, while only 255 veterinary professionals responded.
So SAT is putting it to readers: do your companion
animals join you in the bedroom? Do they help you rest or keep you up all
night?
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| You can sleep in my bed, but you can't bring a half chewed sneaker in with you. Sorry, Scouser. |
[Declaration: yes, I am comfortable sharing my bed with
non-humans, but I insist on excellent endo and ectoparasite control, regular
grooming of all parties and some species restrictions (i.e. for health reasons
I would not share my bed with reptiles, for example)].
