6 Reasons Your Pet Shouldn’t Sleep in Your Bed

With cats, the likelihood of injury from falling or jumping is far less in general, Stewart says. “However, older cats do have a high incidence of arthritis, which many people don’t realize,” he said.

After age 9, many cats may begin experiencing pain in their joints, which can make it harder for them to jump up and down from their favorite places. “If you see your cat sit there and look at their spot, instead of walking over and jumping right up, that’s a sign they might be having issues.” This is a good thing to discuss with your vet, since there are treatments to help reduce the pain.

And it’s not just pets who might get injured. Groggy humans making a midnight visit to the bathroom could be tripped up by pets.

2. The threat of parasites

When you invite your pet onto the bed, you may also invite fleas and ticks, which climb aboard your pets while they’re outside (especially during warmer months), burrow into their fur and feed on their blood — and possibly yours, too, once they’ve hitchhiked into your house. Not only do fleas and ticks cause discomfort and itchiness, but they can infest your home, and their bites can lead to infection. In the case of ticks, their bites can also lead to Lyme disease in pets and humans.

Dogs, particularly those who spend lots of time outdoors, are more likely to carry fleas and ticks than cats, Stewart says. “Cats are so fastidious that, even if they get a flea or two, they’re always grooming themselves. They’ll catch a random flea before it can find a home and breed,” he says. Still, he recommends flea and tick preventive treatments for cats and dogs, especially if they spend any time outdoors or are in contact with other pets who spend time outdoors.

Pets can also transmit ringworm to their humans, and Stewart has identified ringworm spots on pet owners in his clinic, more often when the pet sleeps in the bed, since that’s a prime place for close-up cuddling. Ringworm is not transmitted as easily fleas and ticks, but since it’s transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, it’s worth keeping an eye on your pet for any circular areas of hair loss on their bodies.

3. Poor sleep quality

If you have a dog or cat who sleeps soundly, it may not bother you to have pets in your bed. After all, around half of pet owners allow a pet (including cats, dogs and other animals) to sleep on their bed, according to Australian researchers. It’s hard to imagine this would be so commonplace if it disrupted sleep significantly. Still, a 2017 study from the Mayo Clinic on the effect of dogs on human sleep in the home found that, in general, sleeping with a dog in the bedroom did not hinder sleep, but having the dog on the bed did.

It’s worth noting, though, that Michael J. Breus, clinical sleep specialist and founder of The Sleep Doctor, finds most people tend to fall back asleep quickly, even if their pet wakes them with movement or snoring. Unless the sleeper complains, he doesn’t think of those disruptions as problems.

Although cats are usually smaller than their canine counterparts, some pet parents find them more disruptive to sleep, Stewart says. (Cats do, after all, tend to engage in more nocturnal activities than dogs.) In fact, in Stewart’s home, his family has had to keep their cat, Rosie, out of all their rooms thanks to her propensity for late-night kneading sessions and curling up directly over their faces.

4. Increase in asthma or allergies

Dog and cat allergies are common, affecting 10 to 20 percent of the global population. If you’re part of that group, contact with your pet might cause you to experience symptoms like coughing and sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, rash, itchy eyes or even trouble breathing, especially if you have asthma. Since pet dander and saliva cling to fabric like bedding, having your dog or cat snuggling into your sheets can exacerbate your symptoms — even if they’re not actually in your bed at the same time you are.

For people who have serious pet allergies, making the bed a no-go zone may be a wise move, but be aware that dander can remain in a home or room for six months, even if the pet hasn’t set a paw inside.

5. It’s a romance blocker

Some couples bond over their love of cats and dogs, but that doesn’t mean having pets in the bedroom is ideal for their love life. “As for romantic relationships and intimacy, this can be an issue. Many animals do not understand what’s going on and may think some type of harm is being done and can get defensive,” Breus says.

What, precisely, sets them off is likely to vary from one case to another, Stewart adds. Cats are unlikely to pay too much mind to what you’re doing, he says, but “for some dogs, the motions and noises [of sexual intimacy] can be startling, confusing, and in some cases they may get aggressive.” 

A number of other factors may be at play as well. “Is this a new relationship? There could be a higher potential for issues if, for instance, the girlfriend had the dog for years, and now the boyfriend is moving in, entering the dog’s domain, taking over the bed when the dog is used to being there,” Stewart says.

If you have any concerns about your pets reacting to your romantic activities, redirect their attention: “Give them a toy and have them find another place to hang out for a while,” Stewart says.

6. Dirt and other germs

There’s no denying the fact that your dog walks —and possibly rolls around — in dirt outdoors, and your kitty pads through the litter box several times a day. Any dirt or germs on their feet and fur won’t magically disappear when it’s time to climb into bed, but they may rub right off on your comforter.

And there are other concerns, like the fact that urinary incontinence, especially in female dogs (but not cats), is common as they age, says Stewart. Medications can help with this issue, but it’s worth considering whether a pet in the bed is worth the risk of them wetting the bed.​ ​