How much do cats sleep: sleep norm, where they like to sleep, how much and why

What will you learn from the article?

How many hours should a kitten sleep?
Sleep duration of adult cats
How long do older cats sleep?
How long do sick cats sleep?
The main causes of cat sleep disturbance

Cats sleep 2-2.5 times longer than people; on average, it takes them from 14 to 22 hours for this serene activity. Their sleep is not continuous: the animal quickly falls asleep, wakes up, does its business and again plunges into the arms of Morpheus.

Why do cats sleep so much and what determines the duration of their sleep?

To answer this question, you need to turn to the physiology of pets. In the wild, predator cats hunt to get food - they cannot afford to sleep as much as a cat living in the house sleeps.

Pets are deprived of the need to get their own food - they spend all their free time sleeping. In addition, only in a state of deep sleep do cats fully rest.

Several factors influence the length of a cat's sleep:

Pet's age. Kittens and older cats sleep much longer.
Cat breed. The Scots and British can go to bed as soon as they eat. The Abyssinian cat and the Ocicat have an active temperament from a young age, so their sleep duration is less.
Health status and stress are two other factors that affect sleep duration. Sick animals and stressed cats sleep less. Their sleep is more sensitive.
The situation in the house and the environment in which the cat is located. Restless sleep may be a consequence of the cat being scared, uncomfortable, or someone in the household bothering her greatly.

If your pet is healthy, well-fed, but sleeps less than 12 hours a day and his sleep is intermittent and restless, try to find and eliminate the cause of his discomfort. You may have to build him a secluded sleeping place or simply give him more attention and affection.

Sleep standard for cats

To figure out how much sleep cats need, you need to understand that each animal requires a different number of hours of sleep, depending on how much energy is spent during waking hours and the specific characteristics of the cat.

A cat's sleep is intermittent, the cat does not sleep for 12-16 hours in a row, sleep time is replaced by time for active rest. The animal's sleep is very alert; they can wake up from noise and not sleep again, only to soon fall asleep again.

Newborn kittens sleep differently: they spend all their time near their mother and wake up only to feed.
Over time, they need much less time to sleep, but kittens sleep less than adult animals.

To understand how much sleep a cat should sleep at an advanced age, you need to analyze the life of elderly cats: over time, it becomes similar to the life of kittens. They spend almost all their time sleeping.

Breed

Different breeds of cats differ in the type of higher nervous activity and temperament. This affects the duration of sleep.

If a cat breed is connected with wild ancestors through a short evolutionary chain, then such pets are highly active. They do not spend much time sleeping, and also love to play and hunt. This is typical for cats of the following breeds:

Siamese;
Abyssinian;
Burmese;
Kurilian bobtails.

If the breed was bred in a complex way, then evolutionarily such cats have gone far from wild predators. They are low-active and like to sleep longer. This is typical for the following breeds:

Maine Coons;
Persian;
British;
Scottish;
Siberian

Sleep norms in adult animals

If you compare how much cats sleep per day and how much time kittens spend sleeping, then the kittens will win. But as they grow older, their sleep patterns change: adult kittens spend a lot of time sleeping, while older kittens are more awake.

Sleep lasting 20 hours will not be considered a pathology: this means that the animal’s body requires a long rest.
By the age of 8-10 years, when cats begin to age, the duration of sleep increases.

There are situations when an adult cat begins to sleep little. This indicates possible stress. With prolonged short sleep, cats begin to get sick and rapidly lose weight.

Serious causes of sleepless nights in your pet

Diseases are one of the most common causes of nocturnal activity in cats. During this very period, the animal may experience pain or discomfort, which will lead to loud meowing, running around the bed and rushing between rooms. In this way, the pet tries to attract the attention of its owners and indicate the cause of its anxiety.

Most often, cats suffer from ear diseases, including:

Otitis.
Hematoma.
Abscess.
Ear plugs.
Ear mites.
Tumors.

Each of the above diseases has its own symptoms, but there are a number of them that will help you understand that something is bothering your cat, for example:

Severe itching, accompanied by constant scratching of the sore ear.
Unnatural bending and frequent shaking of the head.
Lethargy and apathy, lack of quick response to familiar commands.
Temperature characterized by a dry and hot nose.
Various discharge from the ears.
Bumps, wounds, suppuration.

If you detect at least one of the above symptoms, you should immediately seek help from a veterinarian, since the consequences of ear diseases can lead not only to surgical intervention, but also to more tragic consequences.

An equally common cause of nocturnal activity in cats can be worms, which can be picked up absolutely everywhere. Symptoms of an animal having worms are:

Fast weight loss.
Lethargy.
Restless state.
Loud meow.
Poor condition of the coat.
Bloating and indigestion.

Fortunately, getting rid of worms is not at all difficult; for this there are a lot of effective drugs that will quickly remove all harmful parasites from the animal’s body; the most important thing is to consult with a good specialist in time, who will prescribe the correct and effective treatment.

Unfortunately, worms are not the only cause for concern; a cat's nighttime activity can also be caused by digestive problems, poisoning, a fish bone stuck in the throat, or injury after a fall, fight, or being hit by something. You should not take your cat’s nighttime activity and restlessness as a one-time manifestation; the animal may need immediate help. Therefore, before scolding or kicking your pet into another room, you should make sure that everything is okay with him.

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Health

Sleep norms in kittens

An older kitten can sleep 22 hours a day. The age of the animal is of great importance: newborns wake up only to feed, two-month-old kittens sleep much less, exploring the environment close to their mother.

Kittens go to sleep after feeding near their mother. This behavior is not an accident. The kitten is warmer near the mother, which promotes sound and restful sleep.

By 4-5 months, a kitten's sleep pattern approaches that of an adult. The duration of sleep in small kittens depends on three components:

Hormonal background. It changes in accordance with the age of the animal: it increases in parallel with the growing up of the cat and decreases in old age. Therefore, older cats spend most of their time sleeping, waking up only to eat and go to the toilet.
Environment. Nutrition, climatic conditions, sudden change of environment.
Neurology. An animal can be calm or excited depending on the individual characteristics of the nervous system.

A favorable psychological environment in the house is also important for a kitten to sleep well. Kittens do not like harsh sounds; an unfavorable atmosphere will lead to the animal having an anxious and restless sleep.

For cats, it is better to purchase beds that will give the animal a sense of security, or special houses.

If a teenage kitten eats poorly, does not take part in games and sleeps a lot, then you should contact a veterinarian.

Does posture matter?

Sleeping pets can tell their owner a lot. The position in which a cat sleeps depends on several factors:

Ambient temperature;
Feeling of security;
Duration of sleep.

When the room is cool, the cat instinctively curls up into a ball, tucking its paws underneath and wrapping its tail around itself. If a pet hides its nose under its paws, then the cat is really very cold. By reducing the surface area of the body exposed to external factors, the cat loses much less heat and is protected from the cold. The higher the air temperature, the more relaxed the cat's body position, which does not need to accumulate heat.

There is a popular belief: if a cat sleeps with its paw covering its nose, it means that frost will soon hit.

On its stomach or side is the most common and natural position of a cat's body during sleep. The cat is calm and does not experience any problems. Cats can sleep on their side for hours. It is in this position that animals experience the deepest and most protracted dreams.

Animal sleep after anesthesia

Considering how much domestic cats sleep, the pet owner will wonder how long the cat will sleep after sterilization.

In this case, everything is individual: of course, the animal’s body cannot help but react to anesthesia, but some animals tolerate it easily and quickly return to normal, but for some animals it is a difficult ordeal. The same answer with castration - it all depends on the individual characteristics of the body.

In addition to operations, the animal's sleep disturbances will be affected by taking sedatives or antihistamines.

Associated symptoms indicating a probable disease

If your cat sleeps all the time, you need to watch for other symptoms, such as:

decreased appetite;
dry hot nose;
coating on the tongue and unpleasant odor from the mouth;
pale gums;
lacrimation and inflammation of the eyes;
enlarged lymph nodes;
temperature above 39–39.5°C (in kittens);
pulse is higher than normal - more than 150 beats per minute;
labored breathing;
vomiting and diarrhea;
the presence of mucus, blood and helminth eggs in feces and urine;
dullness and hair loss;
thirst or, conversely, refusal of water;
itching

Sleep phases

Pet owners often notice the following picture: a cat could be sleeping soundly, and then suddenly wake up and start running. Cats can rest perfectly in a shallow phase of sleep and suddenly wake up.

Cats have two phases of sleep:

Slow phase. It is characterized by low blood pressure, low heart rate, and deep breathing.
Fast phase. Characterized by increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and temperature, and movement of the limbs.

About 25% of sleep in adults is occupied by the rapid phase, in older animals - 15%. When an animal spends a long time in sleep, an alternation of phases occurs: The slow phase is allotted about 20-30 minutes, after which the fast phase begins - 5-7 minutes.

Stages

The pet's sleep process is divided into the following stages:

Nap. The body remains conscious and alert during rest. In the event of an unexpected threat, the animal reacts instantly.
Shallow sleep. The body rests, but hearing is preserved.
Deep dream. Muscle tension disappears, short nerve impulses may be observed, due to which the muscles contract and the paws twitch.
REM phase. The eyes move behind closed eyelids, there is a high probability of dreaming.

The first two stages last about half an hour, followed by 5-7 minutes of a deep phase, which again gives way to sleep. This alternation of stages of sleep allows the animal not to lose vigilance and control the situation around itself at all times.

Dreams

Considering how many hours cats sleep, scientists have concluded that cats dream. Dreams occur in the deep phase. They may dream of an active lifestyle: fighting and chasing their own kind, exploring uncharted territory.

It is assumed that an animal that lives in a favorable psychological environment dreams of games and hunting.
An animal that does not feel protected may have dreams related to protection.
There is no evidence that cats dream about people.
An observant owner can understand by the behavior of the animal in a dream how his pet lives in the house.

How cats sleep

There are times when an animal is not comfortable enough to sleep next to its owner, so it looks for a secret place where no one can disturb it.

Ideally, a cat will never exchange sleeping in bed with its owner for something else.

A cat that is confident in its owner will sleep on his lap, on his back and with his paws outstretched.
More often, cats choose a place that is slightly higher than the rest. It should be warm and comfortable there.
Before going to bed, the animal stomps on the chosen place, relaxes its muscles and falls asleep in a short time. Often cats prefer to fall asleep on their owner's things.

What does it mean if a cat crumples its paws?

Memories from childhood. Cats knead

a blanket or a person with his front
paws
because of childhood instincts. Because kittens do this after birth, massaging their mother's belly to stimulate milk production. By the way, all cats associate feeding time with good things, with warmth and comfort.

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Sleep disorders

It happens that a cat suddenly stops sleeping the norm and looks tired. The cause may be pregnancy or a sudden change in weather. Often, lack of sleep can be a consequence of illness. Hyperthermia can cause unnatural postures of the animal. Sleeping too much may indicate heart problems.

Sleep problems can be due to moving, a change of environment, or other stress.
If the animal begins to sleep more, but play activity has not decreased, then most likely it is due to overeating or temperature conditions. It is necessary to change the animal’s diet and ventilate the room more often.
If the animal begins to sleep more, plus its play activity has decreased, then it is worth contacting a veterinarian.

An animal's sleep norm may change due to vitamin deficiency, worms, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and other diseases.

Veterinarian recommendations

Veterinarians recommend monitoring your pet's sleep. If the kitten cannot lie on one side for a long time and constantly changes position, looks lethargic after waking up, and does not respond to the owner’s attention, then you should be wary.

Quality sleep is a way for a kitten to maintain its health in good condition. Therefore, you should not disturb or wake up a resting animal. Lack of proper sleep will make your cat aggressive and can lead to problems with the nervous system.

Source

Getting better sleep

In order to establish normal sleep for your animal, you need to:

Improve nutrition.
Minimize noise sources.
Maintain optimal room temperature.
Encourage the animal to be physically active.
Do not pet or touch the cat while it sleeps.

Biorhythms

It is believed that cats are nocturnal animals. During the day they like to take a nap, and at night they stay awake. However, such biorhythms are more characteristic of wild felines or stray animals.

Pets are social animals. They adapt to the daily routine of their owners. For example, if you are used to going to bed early and waking up early, your pet will eventually adapt to your sleep-wake schedule.

If your pet wakes you up in the middle of the night, you don't need to talk or play with it. To help your pet get used to your daily routine, give it the opportunity to move more during the day, and feed it well with nutritious food at night. In this case, the cat will sleep peacefully until the morning and will not bother you.