Guest Post: The Health Risks (And Benefits) Of Sharing A Bed With Non-Human Animals

Hello friends. My name is Higgs and I am a male mammal of the species felis catus. I have previously written for Philly.com, Parade.com and other news outlets. I am pictured below.

My favorite topics include evolution, philosophy, and particle physics. Ive also traditionally been tasked with keeping track of reader responses, and I was particularly intrigued by this question:

Heres a good topic: The dangers of sleeping with pets in ones own bed and other close encounters with them. I gave up dog sitting for friends after I came down with Lyme disease. These dogs were spoiled in my care, being allowed to sniff as much as they wanted on their walks and to sleep on my bed.. after getting Lyme disease, which may or may not have been the result of taking care of these animals, I decided to give up this fun activity. Was I wrong? What other possible dangers exist in being too chummy with pets?

Thank you for being a reader and for sending this very interesting query on the safety of sleeping with animals of other species.

As it turns out, there has been research directly addressing your concern, but the experts are divided on how to interpret the results. The most widely cited research paper was published by the Centers for Disease Control in 2011. The main author, Bruno Chomel, a professor at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine, warns that after sleeping with companion animals, people can acquire so-called zoonotic diseases (i.e. diseases that come from other animals). There have been cases of cat scratch fever, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and even bubonic plague (from fleas).

Dr. Chomel has been widely quoted saying he does not recommend that humans share a bed with non-human animals.

Other experts are not convinced the risk is so dire. While this seriousness of the diseases can sound alarming, cases of transmission by this route are pretty rare. I thought this New York Times story helped balance the risks with the potential benefits of warm blooded creatures sleeping together. Slumbering the night away together can be pleasant and may offer psychological benefits for everyone. Also, its considerably warmer in the human bed than in my cat bed on the floor.

In Dr. Chomels paper, he notes that the bacterial diseases, such as MRSA, tended to come from animals with the habit of licking as a sign of affection. I would never show affection this way. As a cat, such behavior is not my style.

It should also be noted that since the disease research is conducted by a human animal, it is rather one-sided in that it does not properly address the risks I may face. I live in an urban environment and stay indoors. The humans Im exposed to are indoor-outdoor animals and I dont know what germs they may pick up traipsing around outside. My human friend goes out and sometimes pets d*gs. If fleas or ticks are introduced to our home, I should not be blamed.

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Guest Post: The Health Risks (And Benefits) Of Sharing A Bed With Non-Human Animals