November 2, 2020 Back Home

6 Interesting Facts About Your Cat’s Sleeping Habits

Do you ever watch your cat sleeping and wonder what’s going on in his or her head? Curious why cats sleep so much? Wondering what’s their dreaming about?

It’s no secret cats love to sleep. In fact, cats love sleep so much they are known to catch some z’s between 15 and 20 hours each day. Meow that’s a lot of sleep.

The following are a few interesting facts about your cat’s sleeping habits and patterns that may surprise you:

1. Cats sleep for about 2/3 of their lives

Young cats typically sleep around 16 hours a day and older cats may sleep up to 20! Ever think to yourself, “Why do cats sleep so much?” Cats originally used the majority of their energy during shorter bouts of hunting for food, so they needed their sleep to conserve energy and recharge.

2. Some cats snore

Cat snoring is a real thing! Some cat breeds are more prone to snoring than others, such as Persians and Himalayans, but any cat can snore if they are lying in a position where their airway becomes partially obstructed by the skin in their soft palate. This normally happens when cats are relaxed, so don’t worry if you catch your cat sawing a few Z’s every once in a while.

3. Cats experience both REM and Non-REM sleep

REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, and REM and Non-REM are the two forms of sleep that humans experience. According to research done by French physiologist Michael Jouvet, cats experience the same two types of sleep. You can tell when your cat is deep in REM sleep because her eyes and ears may start twitching.

4. Weather affects cats’ sleeping habits

Just like pet parents, cats love to nap on wet and dreary days! Whether you have an indoor or outdoor cat, don’t be surprised if she’s yawning more and sleeping longer when the forecast calls for rain.

5. Cats stay alert while they sleep

Cats are able to be partially asleep. They fall asleep enough to get rested, but still be alert enough to notice smells or sounds and be able to flee in a moment. In contrast, even when cats are awake, they’re never far away from sleep (or a cat nap, if you prefer).

6. Cats can dream

According to the same Jouvet study, cats actually dream about 30-40% of the time they are sleeping! We can’t tell you what a cat dreams about, but there’s a good chance yours might be dreaming about you!