Is it safe to let my cat sleep completely covered in blanket where oxygen supply becomes very low?

Question

In this winter my cat's favorite sleeping place is under my blanket. Even when I am not present she likes to sleep there. Since she is unable to lift the blanket herself to get inside I need to lift it so that see can get inside. I understand when she wants to get inside blanket from her act of scratching the side of blanket with her paws and trying to lift the blanket with her teeth.

Now I am concerned regarding oxygen availability inside the blanket. In the conditions in which she sleeps I would have suffocated to death. But if I try to lift the blanket and place it up to her neck freeing her nostrils, she doesn't like it and slips further inside to get fully covered again. I don't understand how she sleeps peacefully in such suffocating conditions?

Is it all right to let her sleep like that? Is there any chance of accident?

Answer 1

Unless your blanket is a solid plastic sheet or some other gas impermeable material your cat will not suffocate. Normal woven fiber blankets still allow air to pass though the fibers.

As long as you are not claustrophobic or have some unusual fear of suffocation you can test this by laying on your side and the pulling the blanket over your head. While you may notice a difference you won’t suffocate.

It is common for people in cold climates to bury themselves in blankets to conserve body heat.

One of my cats used to sleep under the covers with me. No feline suffocation occurred.