Do Cats Protect You While You Sleep?

Cats are some of the most mysterious animals in the world. It takes ages to figure them out and even that is not enough.

Let’s take sleeping with you, for instance… Ever wondered why your sweet furball always wants to snuggle with you?

Particularly why she chooses to sleep at the foot of the bed at night?

You may think it is a coincidence but something deeper is at play here.

What if your kitty can protect you when you sleep?

In this post, we take a closer look at whether our feline friends are capable of protection in this manner.

What Pet Owners Say

A quick search on the topic of cat protection and you will be bombarded with pet owners who claim their cats do protect them when they are asleep.

One such cat parent is Pat Hartman who said on Quora that their cat alerted them once when their house caught on fire one day.

On noticing this, the kitty woke her up by standing on her chest and ‘talking’ to her.

She managed to wake up only to notice the fire and called the police department. Had she waited longer, the whole family might not have made it.

Jennifer Leakey Simmons also said that her husband’s feline friend once showed a side that baffled them.

When he was sick with pneumonia, the kitty wouldn’t leave his bed.

She would sleep on top of him and when breathing became difficult, she would pound on his chest with her little front limbs like giving him CPR! This one takes the crown any day!

These are a few of the testimonies of a cat’s protection. Away from the internet, we bet there are millions of cat owners with enough testimonies of how their cats protected them at some point.

Expert Opinion

Dr. Jess spoke to VetsExplainsPets on why cats sleep at the foot of the bed.

Among the many things she said is that cats do that to protect themselves and you.

The little guys understand that nighttime is when they are most vulnerable.

When they sleep with you, they can easily protect themselves from danger and also alert you in case of anything.

According to cats, by sleeping at the foot of the bed, they can keep watch over you.

Down there, they have a better chance of escaping in case of danger but they can also protect you in a way.

Erin Askeland, an animal health and behavior consultant echoed the same sentiments when speaking to POPSUGAR a while back.

When the kitty closes her eyes and goes to sleep, she knows that her guard is lowered.

In the wild, predators would attack at this time. By sleeping on your feet or at the foot of the bed, your kitty positions herself for her security.

She also does it to make sure she can easily alert you in case of danger and protect you.

Not only does the foot of the bed offer a good aerial view of the room but it gives the kitty the ability to move in any direction if need be.

Another Angle

Once you know your cat can protect you at night, it can be tempting to always expect this from her.

However, you want to trade carefully on this. According to Dr. John Bradshaw, an animal behaviorist in National Geographic, cats don’t imagine protecting you from danger as you do.

He says that if your kitty tries to offer protection, it’s simply because she is following their instinct and not really after protecting you in the sense of the word.

Knowing this helps you remove any expectations from your kitty.

After all, she is an animal with one main goal in life – survival.

Everything done has the same end goal in sight.

By protecting you, the kitty knows that she will always get treats, food, a comfortable place to sleep, and petting.

Final Thoughts

Having a cat for a pet is a whole different experience. Kitties are smart and mischievous all at once.

Most importantly, they are protective of their owners especially when they are asleep.

If you are looking for a reason to own a cat, we just added one to your list. She will always blow your mind in that department!