I am betting we have scrolled past a lot of cat pictures in our timelines. The most hilarious of them all are those sporting the most bizarre and out of this world sleeping positions cats could ever muster. They can sleep hanging, sideways, on their backs, on top of almost everything, in between almost anything, you name it!
You are now beginning to think that the most complex sleeping position is the most comfortable for them! But just why, do cats sleep so much? What is it that allows them to sleep so much in their lifetime? Let us find out, shall we?
Reasons Why Cats Snooze
Whenever we see our cats, we can’t help but ask just how much do cats sleep? They seem to love sleeping so much – or do they? Let us have another look at this behavior of our cats from a different perspective!
1. It is in their biology
Experts would say that cats would spend more than half of their lifetime sleeping. Each day, they average a total of fifteen hours spent on sleeping! 15 hours is even more than half a day. No wonder research would show that they spend more about 2/3 of their lives sleeping. Some cats can even sleep for a whopping 20 hours straight!
2. They are crepuscular
Cats have this characteristic called being crepuscular. Sounds complicated, eh? No need to grab the nearest dictionary because crepuscular means being most active during dusk and dawn. Cats among other animals have this characteristic, which now justifies why we see them asleep most of the time during the day!
Now we have a better understanding why do cats sleep so much during the day because their body clocks will tell them that it is not yet the time to be out and about.
3. Instinctual
Aside from being crepuscular, cats are also natural born predators. While some may argue that cats have been domesticated already, thus we can now see them inside homes and trust that nothing terrible will happen. It is still undeniable that cats descended from ancestors who are born to chase and hunt. Genetics will tell you that cats of today have acquired this trait, making them do the usual chasing and hunting at night time.
Now you can just imagine if they have been out all night doing the “hunting”, or basically just being active and burning all the energy they’ve stored up during the day, wouldn’t it make sense if they’re so spent in the morning that they will opt to simply doze off and stock up more energy for the next night’s adventures!
4. Conserve energy
Still, in connection with the previous point, a cat so active during the wee hours of the night and in the morning will have to recuperate during the day. That’s why they sleep so much. For cats, sleep has a double-function: for recuperation and for the conservation of energy. You will notice that the more active your cat is, the sleepier it is during the day.
5. Light sleep versus deep sleep
For those who have read a lot about cats, you might have already encountered the two types of sleep cats have. For those who haven’t, light sleep is when they can easily wake up from their slumber while deep sleep is those long naps where they stay immobile no matter what we do. If cats spend most of their time sleeping, most of the sleeping they do is of the light one. This is, again, because of their instincts. They can’t be too vulnerable to danger.
Is it something to be worried about?
The answer to this concern will highly depend on your cat’s usual sleeping habits. If you notice that your cat sleeps more than usual or significantly less than the usual, there could be something wrong. Both the excess and the lack of sleep could mean something, which your veterinarian would be most knowledgeable of. It is a possible indication of pain or illness that your cat may be feeling.