Newswise — According to recent research conducted by Canisius College Animal Behaviorist Christy Hoffman, PhD, women report that canine companions are better bed partners than human or feline companions.  

Hoffman, associate professor of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation at Canisius, explored the impacts pets have on human sleep quality.  Data collected from nearly 1,000 women across the United States showed:

"Best friends" make the best bed partners

- Sleep patterns of dogs more closely coincide with sleep patterns in humans than do cats’ sleep patterns, which may explain why dog moms stick to a stricter sleep schedule.

- Dogs who slept in their owners' beds were perceived to be less disruptive for sleep than human partners and cats

- Dogs as bed partners scored higher on comfort and security than human and feline bed partners 

Cats and humans may be sharing space on the couch 

When it comes to sharing a bed with humans and felines, the results were far less soothing:

- Cats who slept in their owners' beds were reported to be equally disruptive for sleep as human partners

- Cats were associated with weaker feelings of comfort and security than both human and canine bed partners

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CITATIONS

Anthrozoos, November 2018