Q: Why do cats sleep and relax on the smallest part or edge of a bed or couch? Dogs enjoy ‘spreading out’ and taking up all the space on our bed or couch.
A: For many cats, who are naturally wary animals who like to be able to survey their environment, the edge of a couch or bed provides them with a vantage point from which they can observe the happenings around them easily. Whether it’s spotting potential prey or the other animals in the household, cats want to be aware of what’s going on – this is also why they like elevated spots.
Being on the edge of a couch or bed also means they have an escape route – something that is also important to cats. Cats like having options of where they can move, and if they’re in the middle of a bed, it may be harder for them to avoid something or get to something quickly.
It could also simply be that the edge of furniture is a more restful area, where the cat is less likely to be inadvertently kicked by a dreaming human or moved out of the way by someone wanting to sit down. Cats will quickly learn where they’re least likely to be disturbed. Of course, this all depends on the individual animal as well; there are plenty of cats out there who move straight to the middle of the bed or couch and stretch themselves out (but probably only in the warmer months!). It’s a good idea to provide your cat with many options of places in which she can relax and sleep undisturbed, but if her favourite spot is the end of the bed, that’s fine too.
Katherine Brown, behaviourist
