How Many Hours DO Kitties Sleep?

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Photo:  Credit:  Freepik.com

Curious about the amount of time cats sleep, and why they seem to sleep so much? Consider then, the following comfy, cozy feline facts.

 

Cats are fundamentally predators and being crepuscular creatures, are most active between dawn and dusk. Why? Because their ancestors, who lived in the wild millions of years ago, realized that hunting during those hours enabled them to avoid predators and maximize their chances of catching prey. They, therefore, developed a unique sleep cycle to support that lifestyle.

Photo credit:  Freepik.com

Our domesticated cats sleep, on average, between 12 and 16 hours a day, an extensive period that’s essential for their overall health and general wellbeing. They’re designed, anatomically and physiologically, to “hunt” for their food even if it’s provided for them in a bowl or involves them, their toys, tunnels and cat trees. Not only is the effect the same, they employ the same energy-intensive techniques such as stalking and pouncing, running, chasing and climbing. And since they use high levels of adrenaline to keep their body fueled during these relatively short periods of time, the result is, understandably, the need to re-charge their batteries by curling up for a long, satisfying snooze.

Photo credit:  Freepik.com

Like humans, cats experience different stages of sleep, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. During REM sleep, cats will very often be seen twitching their whiskers, paws and tails, possible indicators of the fact that they’re dreaming. Non-REM sleep, on the other hand, is a deeper, more restorative sleep, so essential for both their physical and emotional health.

 

Kittens and older cats tend to sleep more than adult cats – up to 20 hours a day. Additionally, any changes in their usually familiar environment as well as various, assorted health concerns can impact both the duration and quality of their sleep. Unusual sleep or excessive wakefulness patterns, however, may indicate an underlying health condition that pet parents don’t know about. If they’re ill, they may exhibit other symptoms such as changes in their “bathroom” habits, signs of disorientation and/or unusual weight gain or loss.

 

Any changes at all in their sleep patterns, any symptoms that are out of the ordinary, are red flags for conscientious pet parents to promptly arrange a visit with their vet.