Question for all those cat experts!

babyfreckles

OK, so I have had my cat Smudge for 2 years now, and she is an indoor cat. She is our first ever cat, so somethings she does do make us wonder.

Just recently, she wont sleep in her bed! (Its in the corner of our room) and all through the night she will dig/scratch at it, then sit in front of it, and then goes downstairs! Im thinking its a bit strange as she always used to sleep in her bed, we kindof had her in a routine so to speak as she would come up to bed when we went up, would get up a couple of times in the night to do her business but we would always wake up and she would be in her bed, but now she is downstairs!

We havent washed it or changed anything about it as I know sometimes cats can react strangely to things like that.

Any ideas? I was thinking of maybe buying her a new bed, but this one is only a couple of years old as we got it when we got her..

gettingready

None of my cats sleeps in a cat bed - I possibly got those just for myself, when I run out of space on MY bed ... which they all claim

Dogs have owners, cats have slaves - please repeat to yourself as mantra, at least 100 times per day

McKneff

We have a perfectly good bed for our cat, she just doesnt sleep in it at all, she doesnt have a sleeping place, I think she comes from Gypsy stock. She just sleeps anywhere and everywhere and never sleeps in the same place 2 nights running.
She has even been known to sleep in the laundry basket till I bought one with a hinged lid on it. Funny the other night, I heard a rattling,
she was nosing the lid up, fine, but as she backed down ready to jump the lid closed, about 6 times she tried it before she just gave up.
She sleeps sometimes under the big rug in the middle of the sitting room, one of the mats in the kitchen with just her tail sticking out.
I would just let yours get on with it, she'll settle down again.

SnowyOwl_2

She might have had a bad dream or got cramp or something while in the bed and therefore that is the bed's fault and so she's being snooty and not speaking to it in revenge. Well, it might be true....who knows what really goes on in a cat's head. They sometimes do just change their mind for no apparent reason. It doesn't sound like there's any real problem...if she's not eating or not drinking, or not peeing or pooing, or is in pain then there's a problem...falling out with her bed isn't a vet job.

rising_from_the_ashes

I was going to ask if you'd washed anything but see you haven't - mine won't go near their beds after the covers have been washed (total opposite of the dog who LOVES a clean bed).

She may well use it again in a few weeks so I'd leave it down.

Mine both have 2 beds:o.

She goes through phases of sleeping upstairs and downstairs so has a bed on each floor - upstairs is in favour at the minute!

He has a bed in the shower (hot water pipes run underneath it;) boy are they not stupid) and in the bottom of the wardrobe - the wardrobe seems to be the most used just now but will find him in the other one now & then.

He comes for a cuddle when I go to bed but sneaks off during the night (think he's been kicked off too many times) and she is sometimes at the bottom - however, I have been waking to a cat free bed (not dog free too tho') recently.

Hoping this may long continue as it tends to be one of the "problem areas" which causes fighting - hoping they've come to a truce that neither gets it!!


However, my old cat never slept in his bed - cats are fickle! We pamper and they couldn't really care less!

It may be the lighter nights/mornings - can she see outside better from downstairs?

If you don't want to go to the expense of a new bed - try a large cardboard box and put an old towel/pet blanket in the bottom and leave it downstairs to see if she'll use it.

tealady

Hi
I wouldn't worry too much as cats do tend to change their sleeping places. This is because as small animals they are prey and so need to avoid attracting predators to their places of safety.
Also mine tend to move around to different places depending on the ambient temperature.
HTH

N9eav

Cats regulate their body temperature by either dumping unwanted heat by sleeping on a surface that cools them, or warming themselves on a warm surface.

No idea why the cat won't use the old basket though.....

ailuro2

Ours doesn't use a bed either - apart from whichever spot on our superkingsize 6ft wide bed that takes her fancy on any particular day...or under it, or at the top of the stairs, or "in everyone's favourite spot on the big sofa"

( Our cat is Smudge too) Smudge is barred from DD's room and the spare room so of course any time the door is open to any of those rooms she's in there like a shot, just to be contrary, not because she sleep there regularly. Who knows how they decide where they are sleeping.

tinksy

my boys have access to a huge conservatory to snooze in with two snuggly chairs plus a basket and a cat tree.

jack the cat is currently taking to sleeping either on the arms of the chair or the back. not the nice snuggly bit of the seat! and last night he spent the night on top of me having a good old snuggle and making puddings in me.

last weekend he climbed on a shelf on the wardrobe and threw all the clothes off it and bed down there!

no logic to it at all!

purplepardalis

One of mine sleeps curled up on my OH's neck or snuggled in his arms. If I try and cuddle him in the night, she puts her paws out and digs her claws in my face until I move away again!! Not hard enough to draw blood or anything just so I feel it! So cheeky!

Ilona

My cats also sleep all over the place. Cushions, sofa, chairs, my bed, window sills, anywhere. Try putting your bed up high, on top of a cupboard, with a chair as a step. They like height, and like to look down on people, makes them feel secure.
Ilona