- May 8, 2024
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Dalton, 32159191, is an 8-year-old female domestic short hair cat, available at Flagler Humane Society. Courtesy photo
Baby-Jo, 31908360, is a 6-year-old female bloodhound mix, available at Flagler Humane Society. Courtesy photo
Goofy, 21452084, is a 5-year-old male American bulldog mix, available at Halifax Humane Society. Courtesy photo
Kodak, 32194907, is a 3-year-old male domestic short hair cat, available at Halifax Humane Society. Courtesy photo
There are times when I have this vibrating sensation on the top of my head when I am asleep. There’s no pain, but it wakes me up. The first time I felt/heard it in the middle of the night, the thought I was having a seizure of some sort, flitted across my semi-conscious mind.
As though putting pressure on the top of my head was some sort of cure, I reached up and pressed down on a soft clump of hair at the top of my head – but it wasn’t my hair – it was Samantha, our cat, who apparently was so happy with her lot in life at that moment in time, she was purring away.
So now the question is, “Is Samantha waiting for an opportunity to suffocate me and take her place on the plump pillow, or is there another reason for this nocturnal behavior?”
Type in – “Cats sleeping on heads,” and an impressive number of articles appear online. I learned that Samantha is just doing the sleeping trend for felines these days.
Most of the articles agreed that the main reason is the warmth. As we all have been told, wear a hat in the winter because body heat escapes from the head. I have no idea of the scientific backing on this, but hats in the winter are cozy so that’s enough for me.
According to a certified cat behavior consultant and proprietor of the Cat Coach in Redwood City, California, Marilyn Krieger, “A cat’s average body temperature is 102 degrees F, and they need to maintain heat for proper basal metabolism, so seeking an external heat source allows the body to not have to work as hard to stay warm while sleeping.”
Well if sleeping on my head keeps Samantha from working hard while she sleeps then it must be done – after all she works so hard sleeping all over the house during the day, without my head as her recharging station, she must be exhausted by the time I lay my head on the pillow.
Another theory is cats sleep on the head to avoid being kicked by a restless sleeper. I suspect in Samantha’s case she is avoiding Kodi and Buddy who are strategically positioned on the bed as well – did I ever mention that once I didn’t allow pets on the bed?
I guess the only other question I have left is, “Why are they all only on my side of the bed?” Guess it’s time to go back to Google and ask.
