diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d46f89c4..3dbda85b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,3 +6,6 @@ docker-compose.override.yml
 .nyc_output
 coverage
 package-lock.json
+.npm
+.config
+.bash_history
diff --git a/lib/cookie.js b/lib/cookie.js
index edf19bbe..4a5a479c 100644
--- a/lib/cookie.js
+++ b/lib/cookie.js
@@ -459,6 +459,11 @@ function parse(str, options) {
   if (!options || typeof options !== "object") {
     options = {};
   }
+
+  if (validators.isEmptyString(str) || !validators.isString(str)) {
+    return null
+  }
+
   str = str.trim();
 
   // We use a regex to parse the "name-value-pair" part of S5.2
@@ -659,7 +664,7 @@ function jsonParse(str) {
 }
 
 function fromJSON(str) {
-  if (!str) {
+  if (!str || validators.isEmptyString(str)) {
     return null;
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/validators.js b/lib/validators.js
index fd46034c..d2f39deb 100644
--- a/lib/validators.js
+++ b/lib/validators.js
@@ -41,11 +41,11 @@ function isDate(data) {
 }
 
 function isEmptyString(data) {
-  return data === '';
+  return data === '' || (data instanceof String && data.toString() === '');
 }
 
 function isString(data) {
-  return typeof data === 'string';
+  return typeof data === 'string' || data instanceof String
 }
 
 function isObject(data) {
diff --git a/test/parsing_test.js b/test/parsing_test.js
index 09cff696..b26d4cfb 100644
--- a/test/parsing_test.js
+++ b/test/parsing_test.js
@@ -691,6 +691,38 @@ vows
           assert.equal(c.extensions, null);
         }
       }
+    },
+    "empty string": {
+      topic: function () {
+        return Cookie.parse('');
+      },
+      "is empty": function (c) {
+        assert.isNull(c);
+      }
+    },
+    "missing string": {
+      topic: function () {
+        return Cookie.parse();
+      },
+      "is empty": function (c) {
+        assert.isNull(c);
+      }
+    },
+    "some string object": {
+      topic: function() {
+        return Cookie.parse(new String(''))
+      },
+      "is empty": function(c) {
+        assert.isNull(c,null)
+      }
+    },
+    "some empty string object": {
+      topic: function() {
+        return Cookie.parse(new String())
+      },
+      "is empty": function(c) {
+        assert.isNull(c,null)
+      }
     }
   })
   .export(module);