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Kitties come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and personalities. However, all of these little furballs share some things in common. They love sleeping! In fact, cats sleep on average around 15 hours per day. Your drowsy pet can even sleep up to 20 hours in a single 24-hour period. Why are cats so tired? Is doing nothing really that exhausting? Read on to find out more about your cat’s sleeping habits.

Why Cats Sleep So Much

Your furry pal’s physiology has evolved from the great feline predators of the wild, like lions, tigers, and panthers. This means that those stalking and hunting instincts are hardwired into your domesticated feline. Even if Fluffy never hunts anything bigger than catnip mice or the occasional moth, these instincts still drive her. They are the root cause of your cat’s excessive sleep needs.

The act of hunting takes a tremendous amount of energy. Felines sleep in order to conserve energy for the hunt. Domesticated house cats and giant cats in the wild both tend to sleep a lot. (Every other predator on the planet gets by with a ‘mere’ 10-12 hours, but we’re not judging.) Kitties are especially tired during the day. This is because they are saving up their energy for the coming hunt. It doesn’t matter whether they are chasing antelope or just stalking a cat toy under the dining room table: hunters need their beauty rest!

Fluffy’s Sleeping Cycle

It turns out that cats cycle back and forth between a dozing state and deep sleep while they’re sleeping. Their dozing periods last anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour. Kitties will remain semi-alert during this time. Fluffy may also position herself so that she can easily hop up and move quickly if necessary. The deep sleep portion of the cycle, on the other hand, lasts only about five minutes. When it ends, your cat re-enters the dozing period. 

Your Cat’s Schedule

Cats are classified as crepuscular. This a term zoologists use when referring to animals (or insects) that are the most active between dusk and dawn. This explains why Fluffy tends to get playful in the evening hours and in the early mornings. It also explains why so many of our feline pals enjoy pouncing on their humans’ toes in the mornings. Don’t punish your pet for waking you up! These cycles are simply built into her biology! Make sure Fluffy has lots of comfy beds.

Do you want to learn more about your cat’s sleeping habits? Do you think Fluffy’s sleep schedule seems off? Contact us to learn more.