Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

“Sleep is For the Weak.”

You have probably heard this popular statement. However, cats are not shy to say that they love to sleep. In fact, cats sleep 15 hours on average and some can even sleep up to 20 hours a day!

So, you may ask, “Why do cats sleep so much?”

The answer to this question is important. After all, some cat owners might be baffled and even concerned about this sleeping pattern.

In this post, we’ll see a few reasons why cats are champions in the sleep marathon.

Natural Tendencies

Just because cats are domesticated doesn’t mean that they are not cats anymore. As they say, “Cats will be cats” and part of their natural instinct includes sleeping a lot during the day.

Cats are predators by nature. In their blood runs the desire to hunt, stalk, and chase prey. Because of scarcity of food in the wild, cat ancestors learned to conserve their energy by sleeping. This tendency passed to the DNA of domestic cats.

Remember that cats are not simply predators, but they are also prey to others. This gives them more reasons to rest a lot. They need energy not just to hunt, but also to escape predators.

Nap Schedule

Here’s something you need to know: cats are crepuscular. It means that cats are active in the twilight until the evening. Thus, for us, from our perspective, we think that they sleep too much because they sleep when we are awake. In truth, they are widely awake when are asleep.

Cats are awake too. We simply don’t see them much when they are most active.

Light Sleeper

If you see your cat lying down and closing his eyes, it doesn’t automatically mean that he is sleeping – at least not deeply.

Like humans, cats can also sleep lightly and deeply. The majority of the day, when you see your cat sleeping, it is most likely that he is just sleeping lightly. Experts explained that during day time, cats don’t really sleep deeply because they need to stay alert. They must be able to spring up into action any moment they are needed.

Weather

Generally speaking, cats sleep longer during the cold weather. This should not come as a surprise as humans are also the same. Whether it is rainy, snowy, or simply just cold, your cat would surely become sleepy.

Activities

Cats will sleep whenever they don’t see the need to do something. If there’s no meaningful activity, they will naturally shut their eyes. That’s why if you don’t play with your cat, it will most likely choose to sleep instead.

Environment

The more comfortable your cat is in his surroundings, the more he will sleep. Not only that, but if the environment only comes with a few stimuli, your cat would feel sleepier. That’s why if you have visitors in the house, your cat tends to be more alert. If you bring her outside the home, he won’t feel so sleepy anymore.

To Sleep or Not to Sleep

Now that you know the reasons why your cat sleeps a lot, you should be able to understand your cat better.

If you notice your cat’s sleeping pattern suddenly changed, you should check for any illness. It could be an early sign that your cat is having a problem or a symptom of a more serious disease.

Cats may be sleepyheads, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are among the most adorable and beautiful pets in the world!

Were you surprised to know how much cats sleep during the day? Share your cat sleeping experiences in the comments below!