by Terence P Ward

Created on: January 15, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

Cats are animals that appreciate the warmth and companionship of sleeping humans, and so if you live with one or more of them you are likely to share your bed with them as well. One can enjoy the soothing companionship of a cat, but should be wary some of the dangerous disadvantages, such as FAP, CIC, and RCS.

The benefits are quick to recognize; a warm, purring feline does wonders for insomnia, is much more soothing than a stuffed animal, and takes up considerably less room than a human companion would. However, there are certain inherent dangers that any potential bed-sharing human should become aware of before making the plunge into kitty servitude.

The first is what my partner terms Feline-Assisted Paralysis (FAP). Once the covers are drawn over top and the human has settled down, a cunning cat will choose a crook of knee or bend of hip and situation him- or herself quite solidly against the selected body part. This can significantly reduce the ability to shift positions. If more than one cat has selected a spot, it is possible that the unsuspecting human may be pinned beneath the blankets by the well-placed, and non insubstantial, mass of felines.

A variant of FAP is Cat-Induced Catatonia (CIC). In this type of FAP, the cat will use either its body warmth (often burrowing under the covers for best effect) or purring capabilities to increase the duration and depth of sleep for the target human, all for the cat's own comfort. No small number of men and women have had frantic mornings, thinking that they simply didn't hear the alarm when in fact they were subject to a case of CIC.

The second danger is Restless Cat Syndrome, or RCS. RCS strikes humans in the dark of night, as they try to go to sleep or an hour or two before waking. The symptoms include hard little paws pressed on tender parts, a kneading sensation on the abdomen or buttocks, meowing very close to the ear, and (in the author's case in particular) a single claw pressed against one's nose just firmly enough to be noticed. Many people dismiss RCS as a facetious problem, because those who do not suffer from Restless Cat Syndrome do not realize how incredibly disruptive to the sleep cycle it can become. The best defense, thick blankets, will not deter those hard little paws as a cat seeks a better position, and does even less against a cat that believes you should be awake. And the small skull of a cat houses a brain that is more than intelligent enough not to be easily fooled by the feigning of sleep.

FAP and RCS nothwithstanding, this writer's experience suggests that the psychological and spiritual benefits of kitty companionship vastly outweigh the downside.

Learn more about this author, Terence P Ward.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.