Being a cat owner, you are simply too aware of the amount of sleeping your cat does on a daily basis. But have we ever considered to ask ourselves why is that? Cats are crepuscular creatures, everyone knows that, but few know what it means. You might think your cat is around 60 years old depending on how much she sleeps during the day. But for them this is just normal.
You don’t have to be worried about your cats sleeping habits. There are several reasons why your cat sleeps so much. The most commo and understandable being that this is a part of their ancestry, another being this is a way for them to conserve energy and or sometimes they are just having a light nap.
The better you understand these reasons, the better you will be in understanding your cat’s quirky behaviors. So, let’s get started on why cat sleep so much and how much sleep they need in a day.
Reasons why cats sleep so much
There are several reasons why your cat is sleeping as much as she does. Your cat requires a lot of sleep to be in her active self throughout the day when she isn’t sleeping.
Crepuscular in nature
Crepuscular is a term used for animals that are active in twilight. When we said this is a part of your cat’s genes, we meant it. Your cat’s wild ancestors used to sleep throughout the day and be active at dusk and dawn. This is time that your active is most active and ready to play. That’s why most of the time you wake up to find a disaster in your hands, especially if you have a kitten. This sleeping schedule takes a little getting used to but don’t worry your cat will also learn t adapt to your time schedule.
Energy conservation
One of the reasons your cat sleeps so much is because she is conserving her energy for the day ahead, or night ahead. A cat is very driven by her instincts. Due to its ancestors, it now also has an instinct to sleep throughout the day, get as much energy as possible, so it would be easier to hunt at night. Even though, your cat is domesticated, her brain still has this schedule wired in it.
Catnap
Due to their excessive sleeping habits, catnap is a term that is coined just for them. Catnap means your cat is not always having a deep sleep. Cats like to take naps too, like us. These naps can last for 30 minutes to half an hour. During these naps, cats are in a state of sleep and wakefulness and any little action can cause them to jump up, give you a kick and go back to sleep. These naps are also a part of their instinctual behavior and they always like to be alert, even when they are pretending to sleep.
This is also one of the reason why you might find cats sleeping in weird places, like high above the cupboard or enclosed spaces, because they like to know whatever is going on and incase of emergencies or threat, have a single exit or entrance. You think your cat is just sleeping, but she is preparing for the next attack.
Age
Age is also a big factor that plays into your cat’s sleeping habits. You will find kittens and adult cats sleeping more than young cats. It’s because they need to conserve more energy than the other ages. Sometimes cats also sleep when they are affected by the temperature. You will usually find your cat curled up in a corner and sleeping during a rainy day.
How long does a cat sleep in a day?
On an average, cats sleep around 16 to 20 hours in a day. Depending on their age and health. Cats love to sleep so much as it is a part of their nature and it helps them to conserve energy so that they wake up fully energized to play, hunt and cuddle with you of course. It is important that once your cat is awake, you engage her in many games and running sessions so she can spend the energy she has gathered up.
Interesting facts about cats sleeping
Here we are going to clue you in some interesting facts we found about cats during their sleep. Do you know that cats in deep sleep dream and snore if you ever hear your cat snoring, it is because she is in deep sleep and if you see her moving her paws or twitching, it is probably because she is having a dream. Cats are not in deep sleep all the time, the deep sleep lasts for 5 minutes and then they go back to napping. You might even find your cat sleeping while sitting up!
If you notice any changes in your cat’s sleeping schedule, it is important to consult a vet. Either she is sleeping less or sleeping more, both could be a sign that something is wrong with her health and needs to be checked immediately.
Conclusion
Next time someone calls your cat lazy, you can tell them these interesting facts to show them that you know about your cat and take interest in her weird habits. Although, you can’t force your cat to change her schedule in order to spend more time with you, but you will start noticing your cat making an effort. A cat demands cuddles as much as she demands sleep, so she will try to change her sleeping pattern to have as much time with you as she can, but she won’t change the amount of sleep she gets.