If you own a cat, then you know more than anyone else that cats must always have their beauty sleep multiple times a day. This means that they have a polyphasic sleep pattern that involves sleeping in short-medium intervals every day which eventually rounds up to 16-18 hours of sleep a day.
This might be concerning for feline owners who are new to the sleep patterns, habits and preferences of their cats.
But not to worry! The seemingly excessive daily naps of your moggies are normal and specific to their biological makeup.
In this article, we take you exploring the intricacies of your cat’s napping habits and preferences as embedded in their DNA using these three factors:
- The NREM and REM sleep
Cats’ sleep stages include transitioning from non-rapid eye movement (NREM) to rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. You can guess what stage of sleep they are in with their movements. When in the NREM stage, cats tend to be light sleepers, sleeping in and out of drowsiness with their eyes half closed and half opened. In this stage, they are still alert and may wake up when necessary before drifting back to sleep multiple times. Thereafter they transition to REM characterized by twitches, eye movements, going limp and acting out their REM dreams.
- The sleeping positions
Just like humans, cats have different sleeping positions that have different meanings. For instance, the commonest position is the crescent pose where they curl up like a ball especially to retain body warmth and protect their vital organs. However, when cats nap on their backs, exposing their bellies, it means they are very comfortable and trust their surroundings. Nonetheless, actions like rubbing their bellies in this exposed state may send a danger signal and they might react defensively – even for calm and mellowed cats – which could lead to scratching or biting. It does not necessarily mean your cat has suddenly become vicious or aggressive. They are only leaning into their protective instinct.
- The older the sleepier
Older and senior felines, usually between the ages of 11 and 15 years tend to spend most of their days sleeping, unlike growing and developing cats. Just like newborns and kitties, their cat naps may go for as long as 20 hrs a day, although not at a stretch – within 75 minutes to 113 minutes at a stretch scattered within the day. They also tend to eat less. This is normal for your cats that are quite advanced in age and you may begin to notice these changes in your old moggies, which is oftentimes normal. You can broaden your knowledge of cat nutrition at mellowed catswhere you can find answers to common questions like can cats eat bacon.
Conclusion
Although sleeping multiple times a day is peculiar to cats, there is indeed something known as excessive sleeping, especially in younger kitties, which like sleep deficiency may be a cause of concern. Study your mogs’ sleeping habits and swiftly consult your local Vet if you notice a change in sleeping habits no matter how benign and especially if accompanied by malign health changes. This way, you are sure to catch early any underlining health defect.
Sharon Howe is a creative person with diverse talents. She writes engaging articles for WonderWorldSpace.com, where she works as a content writer. Writing allows Sharon to inform and captivate readers. Additionally, Sharon pursues music as a hobby, which allows her to showcase her artistic abilities in another creative area.