Of all the strange things cats do, why do they choose to sleep at your feet instead of snuggling at your chest at night? Averagely, felines sleep for 15 hours a day, most of which happens in places you least expect. However, you may have noticed that while your cat enjoys curling by your side during daytime naps, it usually makes its way to your feet during nighttime rests.
Well, cats have instinctual behavior that could answer why they prefer to sleep at the foot of your bed. Check out some of the reasons for this peculiar behavior.
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Why Do Cats Sleep at Your Feet?
All kitties are unique, each with its special dispositions. But what stands out amongst most of them is their napping rituals. Kitties are crepuscular, meaning they are most alert in the night and early mornings.
Cats have predatory instincts that make them aware of their surroundings, always ready and prepare for a hunt. It’s also why their eyes remain slightly open, or their ears twitch and rotate towards noises.
Besides being hunters by nature, kitties also portray prey instincts, making them always lookout for potential threats. They believe they are responsible for their survival, especially at night, when they are most vulnerable.
The foot of your bed seems to be the best spot that allows them to assess every situation and scope out possible enemies. Here are ten reasons why your feline will always nestle at your feet at night.
Top 10 Reasons Cats Sleep at the Foot of the Bed
1. Cat Survival Instinct: Escaping
A cat may snuggle up at the foot of your bed beside your feet because of its innate survival intuition. This part of the bed offers it an escape chance in case of imminent danger as it doesn’t want to be curdled up in your arms or caught up in the sheets, blocking it from easy escape.
2. For Protection
As much as cats are predatory creatures by nature, owners shouldn’t forget that they can also be preyed on by other animals. For this reason, a cat may sleep beside your feet because it feels the safest and most secure place to seek extra protection.
However, it may not always be looking after itself. If your cat is fond of you, it’ll sleep beside you to keep watch over you at night and signal if they sense any threats, protecting you in return!
3. Temperature Control
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It’s normal for humans to heat up and sweat at night. The middle and upper part of your body tends to heat the most, making the middle and top part of the bed feels like a heating furnace for your furry animal, especially if you add heavy fluffy covers.
While kitties love the warmest places, they hate overheating. For this reason, a cat may prefer sleeping between or close to your legs because the feet tend to be much cooler than the rest of your body at night.
Sleeping next to your feet is a way of feeling close to you without necessarily dealing with your body heat.
4. Trust and Affection
Unlike popular belief that kitties are old and uninterested pets, cats can show their love to their owners and display it by sleeping by your feet. This position puts it close to you and shows how much it trusts and loves being around you. Apart from sleeping near your feet, it may portray other accompanying signs like purring, kneading, and rubbing against your feet.
5. Door Visibility
Well, the closer your kitty is to the room’s entrance and exit, the better it can see who gets in and leaves. Since cats have a natural survival instinct, they tend to feel more secure and in charge when sleeping at your bed’s foot because it allows the door to be in sight all through the night.
In most cases, the bed’s foot is the closest to the bedroom door that’s considerably comfortable, unlike the floor. So, it makes sense that the kitty may make it its tucking spot for the night.
6. Comfort – Less Disturbance
These animals are intolerant to their sleep being disrupted by frequent tossing, turning, and upper body movement. For this reason, your cat may choose to grab some space at your feet or far enough away from your body where there’s less disturbance.
Well, most humans tend to have restless legs and “wiggle” too much in their sleep. For this reason, your cat may gauge your sleep activity, and if there’s much disruption, it’ll run out of patience and choose to sleep at the foot of your bed.
7. More Room
Your kitty is pretty intelligent, actually, and it shows it by sleeping at the bottom of your bed, where there’s more room than at the top. Since it may only have two or four feet to fight for space with, and most owner’s feet do not reach the bed’s rear, there tends to be more room for your cat to stretch or curl up undisturbed.
8. To Mark Its Territory
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It’s in a cat’s genetic urge to mark and guard its territory. So, it’s no surprise if your kitty sees your bed as another territory to claim.
By sleeping by your feet, your feline friend might be proving to other house pets that it owns you. Kitties mark their territories by depositing their scent by rubbing against the covers, scratching, or worse, urinating on fresh sheets!
Or, your fur baby could be sleeping by your feet to let you know that it possesses the area, and it’s only letting you share its space with it and not the other way round.
9. It’s Looking Out for Your Peace
Although cats aren’t known for being thoughtful pets, sleeping away from your face shows that they can be considerate.
Felines are nocturnal creatures, meaning they are more alert at night. For this reason, they tend to wake up multiple times at night to satisfy their needs or respond to movements. Sleeping at the rear of your bed allows it a quick exit whenever it pleases without disturbing your sleep.
10. The Bed is Tidier at the Feet
Most beds in a household tend to be tidier, neater, and flatter towards the footboard. Your cat avoids the lumpy, balled-up, and messy sheets and blankets at the top because it is irritating and makes it uncomfortable.
Although a cat likes to sleep in balled-up bedding, many prefer to knead and mold their bedding to a preferred shape.
Summary
Unfortunately, kitties can sneak into your heart and onto your bed even if it prevents you from catching some quality sleep. But, don’t worry if you can’t keep your kitty out of your bed completely. The good thing is, cats can be trained not to disrupt your rest at night.
You only have to include it in your sleep pattern, and it’ll slowly adapt to your schedule. Another tip to harmoniously share your bed with your kitty is to ensure it is clean, as a dirty coat can harbor parasites. It would also be best to sleep with your bedroom door slightly open, so it can slip out without waking you.
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Category: WHY
