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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Do cats have to sleep high up?

52 replies

krustykittens · 12/02/2023 16:14

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this is a really stupid question but we were adopted by a cat about six years ago, when we are very much a dog household (we have four!). She sleeps in a room that they are not allowed to use and comes and goes via a window. I have a dolls house in that room I had bought with a view to doing up and she has been sleeping in her bed on top of it. I haven't done a thing with it in six years and I would dearly love to sell it and have more room but would she be upset if she was no longer sleeping up high? I have bought her a cat bed that is on legs so she is off the floor by about a foot and a half but I genuinely do not know if I am being cruel. New bed has not arrived yet!

OP posts:
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Hellocatshome · 12/02/2023 16:28

My cats sleep wherever the hell they like. They dont have any cat beds as they completely ignore them. I never find them sleeping on the floor but I think that's a comfort thing as we are all wooden floors. Normally come down in the morning to 1 on the sofa, 1 on the cat tree and the other 1 sleeps in bed with me. I think as long as she has somewhere off the ground like a cat tree etc she will soon decide on a new favourite sleeping spot.

Allergictoironing · 12/02/2023 17:54

Cat sleeping places in this house include the seats of the sofa, the back of the sofa, behind the sofa, my bed, bottom of the wardrobe (has cloth down), top platform of the cat tree, dining chair, on a duvet on the floor of the airing cupboard, under the bed, on a windowsill, on the bath mat and just very occasionally in a cat igloo.

pawz · 12/02/2023 18:01

My cats love to be high up! They love towers / hammocks / platforms of any kind, they enjoy being able to observe and watch the goings on.

I do think it's quite common for cats to like to be on tall things yes - could you get anything else to put the bed on that's a similar height?

If you've got many other animals, that high up bed might be the cats safe space.

RandomMess · 12/02/2023 18:38

They love being high up and/or very warm.

Do cats have to sleep high up?
Doyouthinktheyknow · 12/02/2023 21:28

Dcat sleeps in a box on the floor or our bed. She’s not a climber!

The only place she won’t sleep is the lovely cat beds I bought her before I knew better😜🤣

AnnaMagnani · 12/02/2023 21:32

Cat 1 - sleeps on floor (or in our bed) as getting high up would take effort. She does not do effort.

Cat 2 - leaps up to highest place he can find, currently top shelf of the wardrobe. When out and about often found in trees.

Original poster
krustykittens · 12/02/2023 22:03

At the moment she is currently sleeping on the floor on a soft throw I was about to wash! I am hoping the new cat bed will be a good compromise. But thanks for your experiences, I really don't have a clue about cats!

OP posts:
TheIsaacs · 12/02/2023 22:16

Our cat sleeps in a variety of places. At night she’s on a cushion in the floor by my bed, other times she’s on the back of a sofa or on a dining chair, so,E times the spare bed. I think her main requirements are soft and warm, rather than height based.

Caterina99 · 12/02/2023 22:21

My cats favourite places to sleep are either the ironing board (but only when there’s clean washing on it), the kitchen table, the top of the kitchen units or the washing basket (but again, only if it has clean washing in)

The only place she does not sleep is in the cat bed I wasted money buying.

TheShellBeach · 12/02/2023 22:22

OP - send the cat bed back and get a refund. I bet 100% that your cat will not use it.

Our cats sleep on the sofa, on the footstool, on our bed and sometimes on the carpet in front of the radiators. One of them occasionally sleeps on the top of the wardrobe, too.

You can bet your bottom dollar that anything you buy especially for a cat will be studiously ignored by it.

Do cats have to sleep high up?
TheShellBeach · 12/02/2023 22:23

I know someone whose cat always liked to sleep in the litter tray, which was difficult as he was not the only cat in the house...........................

Oodieoodieoodie · 12/02/2023 22:23

DCat sleeps on the floor, but then he thinks he’s one of the DDogs!

YesItsMeIDontCare · 12/02/2023 22:25

OP - send the cat bed back and get a refund. I bet 100% that your cat will not use it.

Absolutely do NOT do this! Your cat will love the box it comes in 😁

inappropriateraspberry · 12/02/2023 22:29

One of mine likes to sit on top of the fridge sometimes, but they'll sleep on our beds, sofas, and even - I know, it's crazy - their cat beds! 😆 Quite often a sunny windowsill is used.
I think if you get rid of the dolls house they'll soon find a new spot to sleep in. Give them some treats and they won't care.

BatshitCrazyWoman · 12/02/2023 22:29

My cat sleeps in her cat igloo. Or on the bed, under a radiator, on the floor in a sun puddle ...

She has no interest in boxes or being high up.

Choccyoclocky · 12/02/2023 22:32

My cat is currently sleeping against me in my bed but he'll move when I get comfy...

He usually sleeps...
on the sofa
on DC bed
dining room windowsill
middle of dining room floor (in the way!)
on DD dressing gown on her floor
on the rug infront of DS toy kitchen

He has a cat tower which he never used. I don't even know why we still have it.

EasilyDirected · 12/02/2023 22:44

Mine tend to sleep off the floor (beds, sofas, armchairs, on a shelf in my wardrobe if the door is left open, the airing cupboard ditto). The only bit of floor they regularly use is where some radiator pipes run and it gets warm but they don’t fully sleep there, just the lying on their tummy with head up / eyes closed half sleep.

Motherofmonsters · 12/02/2023 22:46

My kids left a tray of toys under the heated towel rail in the bathroom and a towel fell on top of it. It's now his favourite place to sleep, I've been swapping the towel as he likes it so much

LexMitior · 12/02/2023 22:48

Yes, cats like getting high and being high.

Bed off the ground is what a cat will like best. But congrats on getting your cat to sleep in a cat bed. I have never mann managed this

TheShellBeach · 12/02/2023 23:20

He has a cat tower which he never used. I don't even know why we still have it.

Stick it on FB Marketplace and some unsuspecting new cat owner will buy it.

TheShellBeach · 12/02/2023 23:20

But congrats on getting your cat to sleep in a cat bed. I have never mann managed this

Neither has the OP yet. The cat bed is still in transit.

TheShellBeach · 12/02/2023 23:22

Sharing the sofa

SkankingWombat · 12/02/2023 23:39

LexMitior · 12/02/2023 22:48

Yes, cats like getting high and being high.

Bed off the ground is what a cat will like best. But congrats on getting your cat to sleep in a cat bed. I have never mann managed this

Well, clearly that isn't true for all! 3 of our cat's favourite places to sleep are under our bed, on top of our floordrobe, and (during the summer) in the flowerbeds. Heat and camoflage are prized above height for SkankingMoggy.
I agree with the specific items though, as in our experience the only place you can guarantee she won't sleep is in/on an item bought just for her (or even the boxes they came in!). She's never even put one paw on the cat tree, the radiator bed was sold 'as new' (I think she sat on it once briefly, before being ignored for a year and eventually sold on), and we still have her cat bed positioned optimistically in the office - currently 12 years and counting, and never used.
He other favourite places to sleep:
Dirty laundry basket
Our bed
Back of sofa (next to radiator)
Living room windowsill (above the aforementioned radiator)
Wrapped around my head (stealing my heat and clearly enjoying the smell of my scalp with lots of noisy sniffing)
The only high place she sleeps is the garage roof in the very height of summer, but again that is more to do with the need to cook herself than the height

Original poster
krustykittens · 14/02/2023 13:32

TheShellBeach · 12/02/2023 22:23

I know someone whose cat always liked to sleep in the litter tray, which was difficult as he was not the only cat in the house...........................

Oh, this made me laugh! Thank you all so much for your replies. I have to admit to feeling rather smug as my cat has a bed she has used at least a couple of hours every day since we bought it for her six years ago!

OP posts:
BoxOfCats · 14/02/2023 19:17

Cats are vulnerable when they sleep so they often like to sleep hidden, up high, or with a buddy for security. Mine like to sleep on the bed with me at night, but during the day will often sleep on top of their cat tree. They have never slept in any of the numerous cat beds I have bought!