What Are the Dangers of Letting Your Pet Sleep in Your Bed?

Allowing your pet to cuddle with you in bed might put your health at risk. Letting your pet sleep in your bed can increase your risk of contracting diseases, bacteria and parasites from your pet. Close contact with your pet allows whatever the pet is infected with a greater chance of infecting you as well. Banning your pet from your bed and bringing your pet to the veterinarian office for regular checkups and vaccinations is the best way to prevent this from occurring.

  1. Bacteria

    • When you allow your pet in your bed, you're also inviting any bacteria they carry as well. Pets do not have the ability to wash their paws and often come into contact with feces on the ground or in their litter box. This increases the chance of them spreading salmonella, a bacteria commonly found in the feces of humans and animals. When animals come in contact with salmonella on their paws and then climb into your bed they can potentially transmit the bacteria to you.

    Disease

    • There are about 250 known diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. About 100 of those diseases are transmitted by domestic animals, according to an article in the Daily Mail. These diseases include cat-scratch disease, Chagas disease and even the Bubonic plague. Cat-scratch disease is a bacterial infection caused by the Bartonella henselae bacteria and is transmitted to humans through a cat bite, scratch or lick. The Bubonic plague, although rare, can be transmitted to humans through infected fleas living on the cat or dog's body. Chagas disease is caused by a parasite that burrows into an animal's skin on its paws and can be transmitted to humans through close physical contact.

    Injuries

    • Pets sleeping in your bed can get restless and bored at night just like humans. Cats are nocturnal animals and enjoy jumping and running around at night when their owners are trying to sleep. This can lead to scratches and injuries to a sleeping person. Dogs who stretch out on the bed sometimes accidentally scratch their owners with their nails or step on them and cause bruising when they stand up to get off the bed.

    Worms

    • Worms are parasites that infect both humans and animals. Some examples of worms that frequently infect cats and dogs include roundworm, hookworm, tapeworms and whipworms. Roundworm and hookworm infect animals when they come in contact with contaminated feces. The worms burrow into the host's skin and live in the intestines. Tapeworms and whipworms are usually consumed in food accidentally contaminated with feces. Pets are often infected with these worms when they eat dead animals or food they find on the ground outdoors. All of these types of worms can be transmitted to humans when a pet gets into your bed and touches you with its paws. The worms then burrow into your skin or get on your hands and infect any food you prepare and eat.