Why does my cat sleep with me?

When I got my first cat as a grown up I, for some reason, thought I should keep them out of the bedroom at night. (I had been around cats as a kid, but they were barn cats, not house cats.) After the first few hours of scratching at the door and crying, my cat learned that he could reach under the door, grab onto a springy door stopper that was attached and pull back on it to make a loud boiiing noise. Well, that was the last straw. I let him in, he scolded me for shutting the door, and my cats have been sleeping with me ever since (and I can't imagine why I ever wanted to keep them out.)

But, what does it mean when your cat sleeps with you? When I was reading up on cat behavior to see why cats like to sleep in a loaf shape, I learned that cats like a temperature around 70 degrees, so if it's cooler in your home, they might be using you like an electric blanket to get warmed up. If you live in a cold climate, your mom has probably told you to wear a hat because you lose a lot of heat out of your head, so if your cat lays on your head, it just might be because they are warming themselves up. 

But, according to excitedcats.com, cats aren't just looking for warmth when they lay down next to you - they could be looking for security. It says if your cat is feeling insecure, they might meow outside the door of the bedroom, which makes me think back to that first cat scratching at the door, and I'm sorry I left him out even if it was only for those first few hours! 

 Pawtracks.com says another reason my cat sleeps with me is because they like me, and want to be close to me. So if your cat sleeps with you or maybe your cat sleeps on you, it is a sign of affection. They even go so far as to say, if your cat sleeps with you instead of another family member, they could be telling you that you are their favorite person, and thanking you for taking such good care of them! Excitedcats.com even says that if you are away at work during the day, your cat will want to spend as much time as possible with you, so sleeping with you at night is a good way for them to get that time they crave. 

Another reason excitedcats mentions for why my cat sleeps next to me is to protect me. It says the house is their territory and since I'm vulnerable while asleep, they're helping to keep their territory safe by staying close while I'm asleep. 

Whatever reasons my cat has for sleeping with me, I'm happy they do! It doesn't always help keep them warm, it helps me keep warm and snuggly too, makes me feel loved, and it's just so cute!