Famous American poet Rodney Mckuen once said “cats have it all; admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it”. If you have a cat (or more), it’s probably not that hard to relate to these lines. Cats receive a lot of praise only for being cute, and they’re always quick to enjoy a nice (and often lengthy) nap. But why do cats sleep so much? Turns out, there’s a good reason for that.
If you think cats are sleep addicts, that’s not exactly true. Similar to jaguars, ocelots, and some other members of their feline family, cats are actually crepuscular beings — they’re most active between sunset and sunrise (around twilight). The reason is that their prey is often crepuscular — so if you’re a cat and want to hunt something, that’s a good time to go about it. Many years ago (before we started domesticating them), when both cats and their prey lived in the wild, cats had to stay awake and hunt between dusk and dawn in search of food.
Hunting could be a very energy-demanding process for any animal, and cats can cover impressive ranges in their search for food. So in order to recharge themselves for the next hunt, cats have developed a habit of sleeping a lot during the day — after all, it doesn’t make much sense to spend extra energy. So evolution pushed cats to sleep so much, and particularly during the day, when humans tend to be most active.
Domestication of these furry animals by humans has certainly brought some changes in their behavior and lifestyle and nowadays, house cats at least don’t roam the wild during the night looking for mice and rabbits — but their sleep-wake cycle has remained largely unchanged. This is the big reason why, for cats, daytime (when we regularly interact with them) is for resting, and resting is serious business.
How much sleep is enough for my cat?
Cats usually require around 15 hours of sleep in a day, but this can vary. Kittens and aging cats tend to sleep more, even up to 20 hours. Active cats may sleep as little as 12 hours. Most of the time cats go through a slow-wave sleep (SWP), light sleep, or a catnap during which their nose and ears are in alert mode and they are sleeping in such a posture that they can evade instantly as soon as they sense any danger. A catnap usually lasts between 15 to 30 minutes.
At least 12-14 hours of sleep is required for cats and both REM and light sleep are important for their health because good sleep ensures better energy conservation, muscle repair, good immunity, and the overall well-being of cats. The diet of cats mostly consists of protein (meat, fish, milk, etc) so proper sleep is also needed for complete digestion of their protein intake.
However, as far as sleep timing is concerned there is no fixed time at which all cats prefer to go to sleep in the day. Cats have the ability to set their sleeping hours as per their feeding pattern, and one research also reveals that some cats adjust their sleep timing as per the activity of their owners.
What do cats dream about?
Only 25% of a cat’s total sleep is deep sleep and this is the time during which your cat may go through REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, a unique sleeping phase accompanied with dreams (yes, cats can also dream) and involves increased brain activity, it is also experienced by humans and birds. If your cat’s limbs are twitching or whiskers are showing a slight regular movement during her sleep, it is possible that she might be dreaming. Maybe dreaming about you… but probably not — research suggests they’re likely dreaming about being on the hunt.
However, there’s still a chance that your cat may be dreaming about you from time to time. Professor Dr. Nicholas Dodman from Cumming Vet School, New England told Metro in an interview that cats exhibit many of the physiological and behavioral characteristics that humans also manifest in their dreaming. It’s entirely possible, according to a report, that cats dream of a variety of things, from their prey to other cats to their owner petting them.
Why cats sleep more when it’s raining?
Factors like weather and temperature also affect a cat’s activity and sleeping pattern, and it has been found that on rainy and cold days, cats spent more time sleeping. If you are a cat owner, you may have noticed your cat often lying near the heating system in winters. This is because cats are warm-blooded animals like us which means that on a cold day they require more energy to keep their internal body temperature balanced.
Also, cats, in general, prefer sunny weather and don’t like the rainy season. Cats and water are rarely good friends, and there’s a good reason for this too: it’s hard for them to stay warm during the wet season, and they also hate the noise that comes from the clouds. Plus, if they do get wet, it’s very hard to dry out and the moisture on their skin and fur can easily make them catch a cold.
Cats also tend to sleep more when they feel safe, and tend to pick sleeping spaces where they feel nothing can disturb them. But more sleep is not always a good sign. If your normal-aged cat is sleeping more than 15-16 hours a day, it is possible that she could be suffering from boredom, physical pain, hyperthyroidism, depression, etc. These disorders occur more frequently in cats that are overweight and you should consult a vet if you notice a sudden change in the sleeping habits of your cat or if it sleeps excessively. Just like humans, cats’ sleep patterns can offer hints about their health.
Just like a good night’s sleep is important for the proper functioning of our body, a good day’s sleep is necessary for a cat’s well-being. So the next time your cat is yawning in front of you as you work, don’t call them lazy. They just have a different sleep setting than yours — and arguably a better one.
