Sleeping
With The Enemy
By Stacy Mantle,
Author
The
Mayo Clinic just released a new statement that states sleeping with
your pets could, and I quote, "Make You Dog Tired."
My
initial question is: "How long did it take these geniuses to come up
with this theory, and how much did it cost us, as consumers, for
them to complete a study that really could have been accomplished by
just contacting me?" As the owner of fourteen cats, three dogs (one
of which is half-coyote) and a plethora of other little creatures
that may or may not be visiting at any certain time, I can attest to
the fact that, of course sleeping with your pets will make you
tired.
For instance, just last night in the hot deserts of
Arizona, we had a huge lightening storm. Actually, it was the first
of its kind since we (we meaning "desert dwellers who are
actually forced to reside in Arizona due to lack of finances, and
pay extraordinary electric bills as a reward") officially entered
the "monsoon season" in early July. Under normal circumstances, the
most catastrophic event that occurred for most people during said
storm was a temporary loss of power. Not true for our household. In
our household, the most catastrophic event that occurred was being
bombarded by fourteen half-wild cats as they scrambled under the bed
covers, three paranoid dogs as they struggled to climb up on the
(thankfully) large bed, and a slightly irate husband. Obviously,
this proved to be a serious disruption to an otherwise restful night
of sleep.
The study went on to say that, "…when a dog was
permitted to sleep in the bedroom, it has only a 57% chance of being
allowed to sleep on the bed." I find this interesting mainly
because they neglected to mention the number of cats who shared
their bed. This is primarily due to the humiliation of cat owners in
admitting that they have a choice in the matter. If these cat
owners’ homes are anything like mine, they don’t have, nor will they
ever have, a choice on where the cat sleeps. Cats are notorious for
simply sleep where they choose, and God help the person who tries to
move them. Therefore, I’m assuming that roughly 100% of the cats
slept on the bed in contrast to the 57% of dogs.
But that’s
not all! In addition to this already disturbing trend, "Snoring
was reported in 21% of dogs and 7% of cats." (Again, this is
more than likely due to the cats’ reluctance to admit that they
snore).
This Mayo clinic study went on, however, to state
that, "…nearly 60 percent of their patients with pets, slept with
their pets in the bedroom."
I’ve done the numbers, my
friends, and that is a lot of pets who are disrupting the sleep of
otherwise normal human beings. The Census bureau claims that there
are currently 106,566,000 households in the US (a figure that I
can’t help but think is seriously understated. But, we’ll give them
the benefit of the doubt). In addition to this large number of
people, there are 60 million dogs, and 70 million cats that
currently claim "pet" status. Now, if every household in the US has
one cat and one dog who own them, then that, in essence, means that
82% of the residents in our beautiful country are being deprived of
sleep each and every night. I find this interesting, as the article
goes on to say that more deaths occur from falling asleep while
driving than from drinking and driving.
While this study
does in actuality, exist, it is obvious that they have forgotten
several important points.
First, there is little hope of
successfully sharing a bed with your pets, unless of course,
you are like my husband, who could sleep through a nuclear attack,
without any of the following events occurring:
-
Heat
exhaustion
from the body heat of all the animals accompanied by the average
110-degree desert heat.
-
Noise
pollution
from the hissing, barking, growling, and general irritation
resulting from cats and dogs sharing a bed together, not to
mention the snoring.
-
Bodily
injury
from the occasional night stalker cat that chooses to use your
naked back as a scratching post.
But
there is good news among these disturbing figures. First, the Mayo
Clinic also did a study some time ago discussing the positive
effects that pets have on people. These consist of lowered heart
rates, a sense of calmness resulting from petting your animal, and
an overall decrease in disease amongst pet owners.
So, while
we may run the risk of dying in a car accident from sleep
exhaustion, the good news is that you will have a much lower level
of stress during the accident.
Ultimately, the risk falls to
you. And I, for one, am willing to accept the potentially deadly car
accident over not sleeping with my sleep depriving pets. In all, it
is just a part of learning to live amongst animals without becoming
one – a task unto itself.
Other
Stories: Herding
Cats, Sleeping With the Enemy,A Fish Tale,
Do
Animals Have Souls, The Problem With
Kittens, Counterproductive Behavior in Dogs,
Counterproductive Behavior
in Cats,
Cody
is My Sister's Dog,
Diary
of A Cog
About the Author
Stacy Mantle is a freelance writer who currently
resides in the southwestern deserts of Arizona with a number of
cats, a coyote/wolf hybrid, and a very understanding husband. Her
writing has appeared in publications such as The Arabian Horse
Times, Today’s AZ Woman, and Pets Illustrated. Many of
her stories and articles have been translated into several
languages, and now reach an international audience. Quickly becoming
known as "…the Erma Bombeck of animals", her writing has
skyrocketed to new heights as she records the stories of those she
loves, inspiring the reader to learn why we have all come to love
the animals we share our lives with. She is the author of
Conquering the Food Chain: Living Amongst Animals (Without
Becoming One), which is available in Barnes &
Noble bookstores nationwide, as well as online at www.bn.com or
www.amazon.com. |
