If you envy your cat for the number of hours he spends sleeping each day don't worry, you're not the only one! Whether on his bed, on a chair, under the sun, on the computer and in the most strange and surprising places, sometimes even uncomfortable in appearance, the cat is an expert when it comes to selecting the ideal place to take a nap, and invest a lot of your time in it.
Incredible as it may seem, the cat's body needs all this rest to be he althy. Are you curious to know how long your cat spent in the arms of Morpheus? Then don't miss this article on our site, where we explain how many hours a cat sleeps a day
Born to sleep?
By having a litter of newborn kittens at home you will quickly see that they spend a lot of time sleeping, which in principle may cause doubts in first time human "parents". However, if the kittens wake up to eat and be washed by their mother, then you have nothing to worry about.
During the first days of life, and up to week 4 or 5, feline puppies sleep around 90% of the day, which translates to about 20 hours sleep logs Is all this downtime necessary? The reality is that yes, because while kittens sleep the hormone is released that stimulates growth, so so many hours of sleep mean a full development in the period stipulated.
Even though they sleep, kittens don't remain completely inactive. It is not uncommon to see them plunged into a deep sleep, during which they move their delicate legs, stretch their still defenseless claws or their bodies tremble. As puppies, these movements correspond to the necessary exercise for the correct development of the little one.
From the fifth week, puppies drastically reduce their sleeping hours, spending approximately 65% of their time in sleep. You will notice that the remaining hours are spent not only playing and eating, but also looking around and doing mischief.
How many hours does an adult cat sleep?
After the fifth week and before the first year of life, the puppies sleep only that 65% of the time that we already indicated. However, when they reach adulthood the average number of hours of sleep increases again, devoting between 70 and 75% to this, that is, about15 or 16 hours a day The time to reach adulthood is usually after the first year in most house cats, although due to the growth facets of certain breeds may even take a little longer.
Despite these long periods of rest, the adult cat does not sleep the essential 16 hours in one go, but you will easily notice that he takes numerous napsthroughout the day, from which it is easy to wake him up, and which he enjoys in different spaces of the house, all to find comfort. In addition to these naps, the cat goes through stages of deep sleep once or twice a day.
And the elderly?
The "senior age" and feline old age are calculated with slight differences for the breeds, although once overtwelve years old they are considers most of them as older adults. Surely you will have a hard time believing this because many times you will not be able to notice any significant change in the feline's external appearance, but little by little its habits will become more sedentary and its personality will be more peaceful, despite retaining the same adorable features. Only in very old cats (around 15 and 18 years of age) or very sick, a considerable external deterioration can be seen.
The decrease in physical activity translates into an increase in sleep hours, so during the elderly stage your cat will sleep more hours, which will occupy between 80 and 90% of his day, that is, from 18 to 20 hours, very similar to when he was a puppy.
Why do cats sleep so much?
There is no unanimous agreement on why cats spend so many hours sleeping, although most studies are flattering for them in this regard, indicating that cats have the luxury, even in the wild, from sleeping because they are good hunters and they get their food much faster than other species. As if that were not enough, in winter they prefer to rest for a longer time to lose as little body heat as possible, which is why they also look for the warmest places for their break. This habit, or instinct, has not abandoned them in the comfortable life of the house cat.
Another reason why a cat sleeps for many hours is because he is bored or spends too much time alone during the day. While you're not at home, it's normal for him to take the opportunity to take a nap, but if his lethargic attitude continues when you arrive, consider play more with him and entertain him, always without interrupting his natural sleep time, because the lack of it causes them behavior problems and stress If they have another companion at home, such as another pet, they can have fun together when you are not, receiving the ideal dose of stimulation and sleep.
Many people believe that cats are purely nocturnal animals and that is why they sleep during the day, but the truth is that this is not true, because your cat also sleeps at night!
What are the phases of feline sleep?
As we already told you, the cat's sleep is divided into a series of naps and a stage of deep sleep. Naps are usually quick, the cat remains relaxed but at the same time is alert to what is happening around him, so he wakes up easily. If there is nothing to wake him up and he continues with his little sleep, he enters REM sleep or deep sleep, during which it is possible to observe movement in the extremities or even through closed eyelids, which has led to the conclusion that at this stage felines are capable of dreaming and perceiving stimuli that come from outside (such as the smell of their delicious food) and reacting to them as if they were awake (moving their nose to sniff it better).
As you can see, the long hours your cat spends sleeping are completely normal. They become a sign of concern if your cat sleeps too much, does not get up at any time to eat, drink, relieve himself and/or play with you.
