Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

You might be jealous. I know I am. I struggle even to fall asleep, but my favorite furball continually knocks out without an issue. Even if there’s a lot of noise, my feline can sleep through it all. Why do cats sleep so much? The question continually ran through my mind. I didn’t get it. So it was time for some furry friend researching.

Understanding Cat’s Sleeping Cycles

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do cats sleep so much?” then you’re not alone. Cats are notorious sleepy bums, and your kitty certainly isn’t the only one who sleeps the day away.
It’s been found that most cats sleep an average of 15 hours per day. It isn’t uncommon for older cats to sleep nearly 20 hours in a single day. As humans, we tend to average around eight hours a night. So our furry friends sleep almost twice as much as we do. But why?

Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

After I had dug a little deeper, I found some reasons why your furry friend sleeps so darn much. Here are a few interesting tidbits of feline sleeping info:

• Twilight Animals

Cats and humans tend to have different sleep cycles. As people, we prefer to sleep at night. That’s just what works best for our bodies. Cats are completely different. Your cat will lay around the house all day. Then once it gets dark out, the furball will come to life and spend the hours you sleep doing what they want.

Cats expend all their energy during the night time. This is when they are most active. Then once they eat breakfast and the sun comes up, they head back to their life of lazing around your house.

• Conserving Energy

Cats are still animals. Even though they are domesticated, these furballs still are ancestors with lions and tigers. You can see the wild streaks of the past when your kitty hunches down and pounces on a piece of string. This is similar to how a lion hunts prey in the wild.

And just like lions and tigers in the wild, cats use a lot of energy while hunting. Wild felines tend to utilize similar sleeping habits to domesticated cats, too. These animals have evolved to conserve energy during the day and hunt their prey at night.

• Dozing In and Out

Cats don’t sleep 15 hours a day in a deep sleep. No, they’re just like humans in this regard. Like we doze into a light sleep and eventually into a deep slumber, your cat does, too.

Around 3/4th of the time your cat is “asleep” – he or she is in a light sleep where springing into action in a moment’s notice isn’t an issue. Your furball is only completely knocked out about 25% of the time.

• Weather Worries

Cat’s sleeping habits are generally affected by the weather in a similar manner as us humans. During cold or rainy days, your furry friend will likely sleep more than on hot, sunny ones. Even indoor cats seem to sleep more when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

• Snoring and Dreams

Just like humans have dreams, your furry friend does, too. Cats only dream while in a deep sleep. This typically occurs when they are curled up and their eyes are tightly closed. If you see your furballs paws twitching or whiskers moving while they’re asleep, that means they’re dreaming.

Some cats also snore, especially when in a deep sleep. If your furball is a snorer, then you’ll probably already know it. However, don’t be alarmed if your cat starts to snore as he or she ages. This is perfectly reasonable, and can happen when your furball reaches another level of relaxation.

• Times are Changing

There is one thing to notice about your cat’s sleep schedule. If your feline changes sleeping habits rapidly, then there could be a huge problem. If a cat starts to sleep less or more, then they could be in pain or have a serious illness. Make sure you pay attention to this.

Your Sleepy Furball

So why do cats sleep so much? Well, it boils down to how their ancestors hunted before they became domesticated. Cats are nocturnal hunters who conserve energy. That’s just how they’re hardwired. By saving energy and sleeping during the day, your furry friend has more energy to cause mischief at night.