Sleep And Your Cat
In this article we will try to find out everything there is to know about your cats sleep. A cat typically sleeps between 12 and 16 hours a day, and while it may seem strange to you, it doesn’t do so to keep its feline beauty intact. Depending on the age of the cat, sleep will serve different purposes. For small kittens, sleeping 20 hours a day helps strengthen the bones and muscles until they are fully developed. If we are talking about an adult cat, the hours of sleep are restorative.
The habits of the hunter cat
Cats sleep to rest their bodies and conserve energy. Their sleeping habits come from their wild ancestors, who hunted to survive. The best times for felines to hunt are at sunrise and sunset, so they spend the rest of the day resting and preparing for the next hunt.
Why do they sleep so much?
Unlike herbivorous animals, which need many hours to eat and satisfy their hunger, carnivores have a high-protein diet and do not need to spend many hours eating to keep their bodies in peak condition. Domestic cats no longer need to sleep to recover the energy to be spent on hunting, but nevertheless retain the sleep characteristics of their ancestors.
What are the sleep patterns of cats?
Even if your cat has his eyes closed, this doesn’t necessarily mean he’s always sleeping the same way. The sleep patterns of cats are very similar to those of humans, they can take a light nap or sleep soundly.
Light sleep: The cat has his eyes closed and is relaxed, but his senses are alert and he wakes up if he hears the slightest noise.
Deep sleep: After 30 minutes of light sleep, the cat will enter its deep sleep phase. His body will be relaxed, although he may have quick eye movements and move his paws, mouth, ears and even his mustache. This is the stage where experts believe cats dream. Even in this phase the cat’s senses remain alert and if he notices a shadow or movement nearby, he will open one eye and make sure that everything is fine. If there is no problem, he will go back to sleep but in case of a threat he will rise and be ready for action, as if he had not just woken up.
Differences between the sleep of cats and that of humans
The main problem that these sleep patterns cause in domestic cats is that they do not sleep during the night, in fact normally, being alone in the house, they rest during the day. When the owner returns home, therefore, the cat will be full of energy and with a great desire to play. To help your cute kitty spend some energy during the day, you can leave him some toys in the hope that he gets a little tired. If you also create an area near a window, so that he can entertain himself looking out, you will keep his curiosity active.
You can also hide small rations of food in the house, so that the cat has to use his wits to find them and have fun looking for them. On top of that, you need to set aside some time for interactive play when you get home. It is especially useful to make them run. The main meal must be dinner, which must be consumed before going to sleep. A good meal will help the cat fall asleep to conserve the energy that food provides.
