Surely, we have observed our cats in their sleep more than once. After all, cats like to sleep with their owners. We see them make the most absurd sleeping position – unimaginable, and perhaps a human body is incapable of.
Let me guess, you were fascinated and curious at the same time about the wide variety of adorable antics and weird quirks our cats have as they sleep, such as why do cats sleep with eyes open; and that is the very reason why you are here right now! Read more about cat’s eyes here.
Are they sleeping or not? Why are their eyes open?
Their eyes may be open but they are surely sleeping alright! Do not be surprised by this ability of theirs. Remember how we established that it is important to specify the kind of sleep our cat is in to answer our question? Well, cats may choose to sleep with their eyes open when they are in a light sleep.
1. Because they are in a light sleep
When a cat is in a light sleep, he or she is in resting mode but can easily react to anything that may happen in their surroundings as they sleep. In a light sleep, they are still highly aware of what is going on in their surroundings. Their ears would also twitch and point towards the direction of something that might have caught their attention.
2. They are simply trying to still keep track of their surroundings
Sleeping with eyes open will allow your cat to become more comfortable with their environment. Although your home is a safe one and no one can hurt your cat, they are still wired to behave that way. It is a necessary behavior for the preservation of life.
How do they do it?
Not only is their psychology telling them that it is the correct way of doing things – their physiology and other characteristics are also aligned with being crepuscular. They can easily sleep with their eyes open because their bodies allow them to.
They simply seek the most comfortable position for them and start dozing off. They would either choose to open both their eyes or keep only one eye open, usually only half-lidded. You will notice a dazed look that will somehow indicate that they are actually in light sleep.
Is it bad?
It is not bad at all! There is nothing to worry about why cats sleep with eyes open. It is a completely normal behavior and is part of how they preserve themselves from harm and other dangers that may be present in the surroundings.
So if you are wondering if you should be doing something about it, or maybe thinking that it is some kind of illness, then you can calm down now! It is completely normal and you should be happy that your cat is able to sleep that way.
Cat sleep chit-chat
We all know how a cat is capable of snoozing all day long! There is no question in how much they sleep – they are capable of sleeping for a very long time. It can be in terms of a series of light, quick naps or of deep, long sleeps.
This is due to the fact that they are crepuscular. Crepuscu-what? Well, in other words, this just means that cats are most active during the night to twilight. They aren’t lazy! They are just wired to be that way.
One thing is for sure, there are two states of sleep that a cat have. They could either be in light sleep or deep sleep. It is very easy to differentiate the two. A light sleep would mean they can easily wake up, while it is the other way around when they are in deep sleep. Cats would spend most of their time sleeping in light sleep, and the rest in deep sleep. This is instinct working its magic.
It is important to identify this because the answer to our question involves the type of sleep our cat is in.