Those Olde Sayings Again
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the pets-dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs-lived in the roof.

When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.” There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other dropping could really mess up a nice clean bed.

So they found if they made their beds with big posts and hung a sheet over the top, it addressed that problem. Hence the beautiful big four poster beds with canopies.