Is it Always a Deep Sleep?

Cats are easily roused from sleep; this is because they are light sleepers more than deep sleepers. Therefore when cats sleep, it is not always the deep sleep.

Well, cats are alert animals. They may be asleep but they are well aware of their surroundings. You will notice that their eyes may be closed, and yet their whiskers or ears may be moving towards a sudden noise or sudden movement. These actions mean that your cat is still hypersensitive to its surrounding even while taking a nap.

In fact, in the average 13 to 16 hours of sleep that a cat spends in a day, most of the hours are spent in light sleeping, or snoozing. Cats usually just snooze and do not sleep deep – always ready to wake even at short notice.

You can distinguish a deep sleep from a snooze in the way your cat positioned itself as he or she sleeps. If your cat positioned itself in an upright position, seemingly ready to pounce, crouching position, then your cat is mostly taking a snooze. On the other hand, if your cat is curled up (maybe even hugging its tail or covering its eyes with its paws), lying flat on its back; then there is a high probability that your cat is going to a deep sleep. A snooze may last for about 10 to 30 minutes, while a deep sleep will of course last longer.

Why do Cats Sleep for Hours!?

Cats sleep most of their days off, because of a number of reasons. Primarily, the one responsible for this behavior in cats is none other than the cat’s genes. Non-domesticated early ancestors of now domesticated cats are most active at around twilight and at dawn; this is because their prey is also active during these hours. Now, these cats spend all their energy hunting for prey in order to survive – that is why, during the day, in their non-hunting hours – cats now spend their time filling up their energy bars, in time for another hunting session!

If a cat is young, it is more likely to sleep off most of its day in order to catch up with the progress of its growth – They also may have got tired from playing with their best interactive cat toys? The same goes for senior cats, they sleep off their time most of the day to conserve their energy as they are no longer capable of moving as around as much as before.

Sleep for cats helps in digesting their food. A cat’s diet is usually very high in protein and sleeping helps them in digesting these proteins. If a cat’s human companion is not home very often, they usually sleep to kill time and avoid boredom until their human companion returns home. On the other hand, cats sleep and can adjust their sleeping pattern in order to be with their human companion that may be around all the time.

What do Cats Get From Sleeping?

There are a lot of things that cats can get from sleeping a lot. Just like humans who also needs sleep in order to have some rest and allow our organs to repair any damage, cats also needs sleep for regeneration and in order to replenish their depleted energy from being super active during their waking hours. Some bodily functions are also rested and repairs in a cat’s body that needs to be done occurs when they slow down from a fast-paced life and sleep.

Watch Out!

Although, you have to have a watchful eye! If you notice a sudden change in your cat’s sleeping pattern, then do not take it lightly. It could be that your cat is feeling quite unwell.

A sudden change in your cat’s sleeping pattern may indicate that there is something wrong with your cat, and they may start biting you – Our guide on how to stop your cat from biting is a good read. There could be two scenarios here: Your cat may sleep more than usual or sleep less than usual. Both can be a sign of illness or problem in your cat’s health. Of course, you have to closely observe your cat if he or she also exhibit other odd changes in their behavior. (Read: How to know if your cat is in pain and How long can cats go without food)

As soon as you notice an unusual change in your cat, then you should consult right away with your veterinarian!

Do Cats Dream?

Why yes of course cats dream too! Just like their human companions, cats do dream. After all that has been said about these fur balls spending almost two-thirds of their lives sleeping, there is, of course, some room there for dreams.

Cats would probably dream about what happened most of the day – a cat’s usual activities like playing, stalking “prey”, running around, climbing on things, crouching, prowling, and maybe even eating! We never know! But one thing is for sure: cats also have dreams.

You will notice that your cat may be dreaming when your cat suddenly moves its paws or whiskers or have sudden jerks in their bodies.

Do Cats Snore?

Just like dreaming, cats are also capable of snoring! Snoring cats sound amusing but it just means that they are happily and sound asleep, contented in where they are. Snoring in cats occur when their airway is hindered by an extra skin in the soft palate.

Do not worry it is, of course, safe and will not cause any harm to your cat. Snoring signifies that your cat is relaxed and satisfied. Although, this is not to say that non-snoring cats are not happy and contented. Snoring usually occur in short-nosed breeds like the Persian cat and that Exotic Shorthair cat. So do not be sad if your cat does not snore!