Cats: Sleeping Their Way to The Top
Editor’s Note: Hi friend! Melody, Junipurr’s mama and humble scribe, here. As you may know, we publish a new essay every Tuesday… but Juni and I totally snoozed on publishing yesterday’s post! Speaking of snooze … let’s deep dive into the strange & wonderful relationship between cats and sleep, shall we?
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Need living proof that beauty sleep works? May I present…Cats. Take my Junipurr, for example. Babygirl invests roughly 15 hours a day sleeping, and her gorgeousness is, well, self-evident. Before you drop of because this sounds like yet another impossible beauty regime, let’s investigate the dreamy topic of Cat Sleep from a clinical perspective. We will explore:
How much sleep is too much, taking into consideration factors such as benchmarks, seasonality, age, and health conditions.
How to build a good sleep ritual for the entire household.
Let’s go!
“Normal”
A National Sleep Foundation article on feline sleep behavior shares this benchmark: “Cats sleep an average of 15 hours a day.”
Not easily fooled by averages?
I got you: famed feline behaviorists Jackson Galaxy and Mikel Delgado note in their book Total Cat Mojo that anywhere between 12-20 hours of sleep a day is within reasonable range.
My fellow sleepaholics: Why not?!
But seriously: Why?
First, given where cats are in the food chain – i.e. smack dab in the middle - stillness during their many predators’ active hours can mean safety. This logic is also what propels our cats to favor hidden and/or height-advantaged sleeping stations … plus an ever-vigilant approach to napping for much of their sleep cycle. Second, speaking of the food chain, hunting (an umbrella term that includes commanding wayward parents to serve the food on a gold platter, of course) is an energy guzzler. Recall all that tail windshield wiping, pupil widening, stalking, leaping, pouncing, kicking, and charging with a battle-cry, you can see why. Sleep, then, is a crucial refueling mechanism for building up the necessary energy reserve.
The general rule-of-thumb for domestic cats may be 15 hours a day, but seasonality, age, and health conditions also influence how much your cat sleeps or doesn’t sleep. When the weather is chilly and grey, for example, cats may sleep more because #hyggelife ain’t just for humans. Newborn kittens sleep around 22 hours a day, and six-month-olds invest between 16- 20 hours a day dreaming big dreams of the Ferocious Hunter they will surely become. Senior citizens, those venerable felines 13 years and older, may also sleep closer to the 20 hour a day mark.
Alas, there is such a thing as excessive and problematic sleep. Sleep can be a symptom of “boredom, obesity, age, heavy diet, feline depression, a lack of vitamins,” amongst other concerning causes. Consult your veterinarian if:
Your cat is consistently sleeping on the higher end or more than the 12-20 hours benchmark, especially in a deep sleep state
Your cat is sluggish even when awake, especially during those golden-for-cats hours around dusk and dawn
There is a dramatic change of any kind in her sleeping behavior, especially for senior cats
There is a flea infestation, and your cat has been more sluggish/grumpy than usual. Veterinarian and pet behaviorist Dr. Jeff Nichol writes about such a case: “His fleas are sucking his blood and he may be getting anemic (low numbers of red blood cells). Anemia will cause weakness that might be responsible for his sleeping more.”
If you read the above with growing alarm, do NOT panic. Every cat, just like every human, is different, so observing one or more of the above behaviors does not necessarily mean something is wrong (except fleas. Fleas are wrong, and I will state here and now that my love for animals has not extended to fleas.). It does mean that discussing with a vet may be a solid parenting move.
Good Sleep for You and for Me (and the entire human race)!
Speaking of parenting, did you know that sleep might be a shining beacon of the feline-human connection? Your furbaby’s bond with you, as the aforementioned National Sleep Foundation article attests, “might be stronger than their circadian rhythm: Most cats will adjust their schedules, so they’re awake to play when you’re home and can cuddle up next to you while you catch your own zzz’s.”
D’awwwwwww! Bring it in for the head rubs/socially distanced gangsta nods!
If you, like Junipurr’s Favorite Parent, are guffawing in the background because you are the recipient of your furbaby’s shenanigans during no man’s hour, there is HOPE!
Tips for bedtime household harmony:
Active & enriched when awake. Prevention is KEY. As parents of human children often say: Tire that little terrorist out! Pack your furbaby’s day with enrichments like food puzzles, olfactory stimuli (e.g. catnip, silver vine, honeysuckle, etc.), infrastructure for “climbing, perching, hiding, stalking, hunting, birdwatching,” and joyful rituals of play and predictable meals.
Cozy & safe when sleeping. Ensure they have a variety of feline feel-good sleep spots around the home, e.g. a cat tree with a generous top platform, a cozy wool cave, and a plush cat bed lined with a gently worn t-shirt from her favorite parent for ultimate scent co-mingling delight.
Everyone needs a good role model. Regulate your own sleep hygiene and create a family bedtime routine. Our nightly ritual, for example, is as follows: Around 11pm, I spread out Junipurr’s favorite blanket, then we climb into bed around the same time. She proceeds to knead her blanket for a solid ten minutes (no exaggeration). When she has kneaded enough bread for a entire village, I turn out the lights and we fall asleep, alternating who’s turn it is to snore.
Barring health issues, abiding by these three best practices will set you up very well for success. Sweet dreams, friend!
p.s. You may also like: Crepuscular and Cats, Bath, & Beyond
REFERENCES
Sleep Habits of Cats.” National Sleep Foundation, https://www.sleep.org/cats-sleep-habits/. Accessed 1 August 2020.
Hammond, Lynette. “Is My Cat Sleeping Too Much?” ProtectaPet, https://protectapet.com/blog/is-my-cat-sleeping-too-much/#:~:text=Cats%20usually%20sleep%20properly%20during,that's%20when%20they%20are%20dreaming. Accessed 1 Aug 2020.
“Senior Cats: What to Expect at 13-15 Years.” VetStreet, 10 March 2014, http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/senior-cats-what-to-expect-at-13-15-years
Schaible, Laci. “How Much Sleep Is Normal For Kittens?” Chewy PetCentral, https://petcentral.chewy.com/how-much-sleep-is-normal-for-kittens/. Accessed 1 Aug 2020.
Schaible, Laci. “How Much Should My Senior Cat Sleep?” Chewy PetCentral, https://petcentral.chewy.com/how-much-should-my-senior-cat-sleep/#:~:text=She%20may%20tire%20more%20quickly,she%20was%20a%20small%20kitten. Accessed 1 August 2020.
“Nocturnal Behavior.” San Francisco SPCA, https://www.sfspca.org/resource/nocturnal-behavior/. Accessed 1 August 2020.
Nichol, Jeff. “Excessive Sleeping.” Dr. Jeff Nichol, https://drjeffnichol.com/excessive-sleeping/. Accessed 1 August 2020.
Delgado, Mikel. “Cats getting ‘eufloric’: A new study explores olfactory enrichment for felines.” Cats and Squirrels, http://catsandsquirrels.com/cats-getting-eufloric-a-new-study-explores-olfactory-enrichment-for-felines/#more-2413. Accessed 1 August 2020.
Nichol, Jeff. “Cat Daddy as Midnight Toy.” Dr. Jeff Nichol, https://drjeffnichol.com/media-stinky-cat-3-am/. Accessed 1 August 2020.
Galaxy, Jackson and Mikel Maria Delgado. Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life with Your Cat. TarcherPerigee, 2017
Disclaimer
This content is for education and community discussion purposes only. Please consult your veterinarian with any questions or concerns about parenting your cat. Thank you for reading!
