If you have a cat, you’ve probably watched it rest peacefully for hours. But do you know how much sleep a cat gets in a day? And how many hours of sleep does it take to start causing problems? We tell you all about it!
We found out how long a cat sleeps
If we add the resting hours of a cat, the total will be between 12 and 16 hours.
Of course, it’s not the same for all cats. To find out how long a cat sleeps, several factors need to be taken into account, such as its age, where it lives, whether it’s sick or healthy, and how much exercise it gets during the day.
On the basis of all this, certain differences can be established. For example, kittens and older cats, those over 12 years old, sleep the most, up to 20 hours. Yes, almost all day long!
This is because their physical activity is very limited, so as they approach adulthood (an active period), they will sleep less.
There are other conditions that affect the rest of the kittens. For example, when they’re surrounded by people and movement, they sleep less and are more alert than when they’re alone.
Also, as you know, sleep does not occur continuously. Cats take short naps during the day, accumulating upto 70% of their resting time. The remaining 30% is deep, restorative sleep.
The importance of feline rest
As with humans, rest is essential to a cat’s development and good health. So it’s important to respect your cat’s resting time. Knowing how long a cat sleeps is just as important as knowing how much rest it needs.
To begin with, your pet’s sleep will help replenish the energy expended during the day. For example, as you know, cats are expert hunters and even if your cat doesn’t leave the house, this instinct is there and he uses it every day to stalk or catch something… even if it’s a toy! The movements he makes to do it exhaust him and he needs to sleep to recover.
In the same way, good rest influences your mood. Is it true that when you don’t sleep much, you’re not in a good mood? The same thing happens to your cat!
And last but not least, sleeping at the right times will help keep your cat in good health: with rest, the body functions properly to keep your pet in perfect condition.
Why does my cat sleep a lot?
Why does my cat sleep a lot? Is he sick or is this normal? If you’ve noticed that your cat spends a lot of time sleeping and you even envy his life, we’re going to tell you why! Cats’ great penchant for sleeping has a logical explanation.
Cats have great self-confidence and know that they are efficient predators, so much so that they can allow themselves to sleep for several hours a day while still obtaining food. This reflection of the wild is always present in domestic cats, even if they don’t need to hunt. It’s an instinct.
And don’t forget that cats are particularly active at night. They spend the day sleeping and become more active after sunset.
Sleeping is not the same as dozing
Just like us, cats can rest in different ways, but they don’t always need to sleep soundly. What we call dozing, which is light rest without deep sleep, is a process that lasts between 15 and 30 minutes. Being light sleepers, they remain alert and have little trouble waking up to any stimulus. You could compare it to taking a nap.
Most of the time, they don’t really sleep, they just doze off. This helps them to rest, but at the same time to remain aware of their surroundings. Deep sleep lasts much less, about 5 minutes. After waking up, the cat continues to doze.
Cats are sedentary
Of course, not all cats have the same character, and some are more inactive than others. However, on average, a cat spends 70% of the day sleeping or dozing.
They don’t need to go out as often as dogs; in fact, some of them hardly go out at all. As a result, they find comfort in their homes and settle into a sedentary lifestyle.
Warning signs
As you can see, cats sleep a lot. There’s nothing alarming about a cat sleeping more than 20 hours a day. Now, other behaviors or reactions should alert you. If, for example, your cat no longer bothers to get up to eat or play, talk to your vet. This may be a sign of illness or depression.
Now that you know how long a cat sleeps and how important it is for him, take advantage of it when he’s awake to play together!
Remember that even if they’re very sleepy, you still need to observe them. If your cat lies down all day and you notice strange behavior, such as stopping eating and drinking, visit your vet immediately, as she could be ill.
We hope that we have been able to answer any questions you may have, such as :
- Why does my cat sleep all day and night?
- How long does an apartment cat sleep?
- How long does an adult cat sleep?
- How long does a kitten sleep?
- Is it normal for mycat to sleep all day?
Any other questions? Please let us know in the comments, and we’ll be happy to reply!
We all want to keep our fur balls with us for as long as possible.
Find out which plants are dangerous for your cats.
