Our little felines can sleep up to 17 hours a day, which is equivalent to 70% of the day. These hours are divided into several dreams throughout the day and the total daily hours will depend on several factors, such as the age of the cat (even reaching 20 hours in babies and older cats), their degree of activity, diseases and environmental alterations.
In this article on our site we will talk about why do cats sleep so much and how it varies depending on your cat's internal and external conditions. Keep reading and you will better understand the rest needs of your feline companion!
Is it normal for cats to sleep so much?
Yes, it's normal Cats are predators, they behave in a similar way to wild cats. That is, they are designed in a similar anatomical and physiological way for hunting; they need it if they live on the streets, or not, because they live in a home with guaranteed food. Wild cats After hunting their prey they sleep, due to the high amount of energy calories spent in the process. Our domestic cats do the same, but instead of hunting small prey, they usually expend that energy by playing with their keepers, running, jumping, stalking and keeping their bodies tense, which causes an adrenaline rush that really exhausts them and they need sleep. This is an answer to the question why cats sleep so much.
“Cats are nocturnal animals, they sleep during the day and are awake at night”, is a frequently repeated phrase, but not entirely true. The highest peak of feline activity coincides with dawn and dusk, which means that they are crepuscular animals and not nocturnal. This also has to do with the time when they hunt their wild relatives, since it is at this time that the prey are more active and are more visible. In the deep hours of the night, your cat will in many cases sleep as soundly as you do, as they need little time to develop their predatory instinct.
If you want more information about why cats sleep so much, you can consult this other article on My cat sleeps a lot - Is it normal?
Why do baby cats sleep so much?
Many kitty caretakers worry that their cat sleeps a lot and doesn't play. During their first weeks of life, cats need more sleep than adults, and can sleep up to 20 hours a day This is due, in part, to the fact that during sleep the growth hormone secreted by the hypophysis or pituitary gland is released, occurring twenty minutes after the start of the deep sleep cycle. It is during sleep, therefore, that grow and develop, since the information learned while awake is also fixed and is one of the reasons why why cats sleep so much.
When they reach four or five weeks of age, the time they spend sleeping decreases until it reaches the hours of sleep of an adult, since their curiosity increases, they begin to investigate the environment, their desire to play begins, they already run, swing their tail, their senses of sight and hearing are well developed, some milk teeth have erupted and weaning begins.
Since sleep is so important in baby cats, we encourage you to read this other article on Where should a cat sleep?
What is the cat's sleep cycle like?
When sleeping, cats alternate between light and deep sleep. Most of their sleep is light, around 70%. These are naps of a few minutes known as “cat naps” or "naps", they can be half-lying down and their ears are usually raised to respond andwaking up easily to stimuli This has its explanation, since in addition to being predators, felines are prey to other animals, so their nature makes them alert to possible dangers, they carry it in their genes.
After about thirty minutes of light sleep, they enter the deep phase of sleep known as REM phase, which occupies the remaining percentage of total sleep and despite having a totally relaxed body, cats have semi-conscious dreams the same that the people. This is because they maintain alert senses and brain activity similar to when they are awake, so they can quickly move their eyes, legs, ears, they can even vocalize and change their posture.
So why do cats sleep so much? an adult cat's day can be divided into 7 hours awake and 17 hours sleeping, of which 12 hours are light sleep and 5 hours are deep sleep.
For more information, we leave you a video from our site about the phases of sleep in puppies, adults and elderly cats.
Sleep disturbances in cats - causes and prevention
Why do cats sleep so much? There are several factors that can modify your cat's sleep behavior. Below we present the most frequent:
Temperature
The Extreme temperatures,both hot and cold, alter your cat's sleep, significantly increasing the time they spend doing this activity. If cats live indoors, it is convenient to maintain a suitable room temperature that does not affect your kitten's sleep. If it is very cold, provide him with blankets or warmer places, so you will also help avoid respiratory diseases. This is especially important for hairless kittens, such as the sphynx breed.
Diseases
Cats are experts at hiding their ailments, so it is very important to pay attention to changes in sleep, as it can indicate that something is wrong. If your cat sleeps more than usual or is lethargic, it is best to go to the vet to rule out he alth problems, such as a diet low in protein and essential amino acids,neurological diseases that affect the central nervous system, sensory deficits, abdominal diseases (intestinal, liver or kidney), cardiovascular diseases or hematological disorders such as anemia, and pain. Sometimes increased sleepiness is accompanied by anorexia and reduced grooming.
On the other hand, if he sleeps less and has more energy, hunger and thirst than usual, it can lead us to suspect an endocrine problem typical of older cats, it could be hyperthyroidism.
Boredom
When cats spend most of the day alone and do not have the company of other animals or caretakers play with them or spend enough time with them, they will find themselves bored, even depressed most of the day. Not finding another better activity, they sleepThat is why it is very important to spend time with your little feline, it will improve his mood and his he alth
Zeal
At these times, cats are more active due to the action of hormones and they sleep less because they spend much of the day attracting attention of the possible males, even being at home; just as the males that are looking for a cat tend to sleep less for this reason and because they are dedicated to marking territory or fighting with other cats.
Here we leave you more information about Heat in cats - Male and female.
Stress
Stress affects cats a lot. It can cause he alth problems such as anorexia or feline idiopathic cystitis, behavioral disorders and changes in sleep habits, showing an increase or decrease in sleep hours and looking for a hidden place to sleep.
Many of these situations can be avoided or improved, so it's important to listen to your cat. That is, monitor his possible changes in sleep behavior, grooming, if he meows more or less and if he hides or has increased his aggressiveness. Realizing small alterations in their behavior, we can intuit that something is wrong and be able to treat what happens to them in time. In these cases, it is best to take it to the vet before any change detected, there they will make a correct diagnosis and apply the appropriate treatment according to the cause.
If you suspect that your cat is stressed, don't miss this other article on Stress in cats, where we give you the keys to treat it.
