How Much Do Cats Sleep?

If you’re worried that your cat is sleeping too much, don’t.  You may be surprised to learn that cats sleep more than half of every 24 hours.  Elderly cats and kittens sleep even more, seriously, like 80% of the time!

How much or how long a cat sleeps depends on a few variables and can be a bit different for each cat.  But for the most part, the answer to, How Much Do Cats Sleep? is…a lot!

watch my video: how much do cats sleep?

How Long Do Cats Sleep?

As a general rule, cats sleep around 15 hours per day, and are most active between at dawn and dusk.  How many hours a cat sleeps isn’t the same as humans.  We generally go to bed and sleep a certain number of hours.  But cats don’t sleep that way.  Here’s what’s different and why.

Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

In the wild, cats have to do a great deal of hunting.  They have to catch prey many times per day in order to survive.  During that time, they’ll take short “cat naps,” which is a nap where they’re resting, but are still aware of their surroundings and can act quickly if prey (or danger) comes near.

Domesticated cats will do the same thing.  They follow their natural instinct to preserve energy as much as possible for hunting.

You may think your cat is sleeping all day and up all night, but the reality is that he’s likely sleeping on and off all day, and all night.  On and off can mean he’s sleeping (or may just be snoozing) at least 50% of the time.

As cats get older, they’ll likely sleep even more, and get tired more easily.  If you’d like more information about an older cat, read my article (includes video), How to Help an Aging Cat.

Are Cats Nocturnal?

Not really.  People often come to this conclusion because it seems their cat is sleeping all day, and often awake at night.  But as we’ve just explained, they are sleeping on and off all day and night.

You may hear your cat playing during the night, or they may wake you up by trying to get you to play while you’re sleeping.

But that doesn’t mean they’re up the whole night…they’re just being active, on and off, throughout the night just as they do during the day.

When Should You Be Concerned?

If your cat suddenly starts sleeping less, this could be a symptom of something preventing him from sleeping.  If this is happening, please take your cat to the vet.

If you notice things like less energy, lethargy or weakness, this could indicate a serious health condition, so again, have your cat seen by the vet.

Older cats can start having age-related problems that can effect their sleep.  A senior cat should be seen by the vet more often.  Bottom line on when to worry – if you notice any difference in your cat’s daily behavior, regarding sleep or anything else, it’s an indicator that there might be a problem and you should call the vet.

Let Sleeping Cats Lie

It may seem odd to us humans that our cats sleep so much.  But suffice it to say that cats do sleep a lot – on and off all through the day and night.  And if they’re not showing any of the health symptoms we’ve discussed, it’s ok.

Complete Cat Health Care Guide

If you’d like more information about your cat’s health, check out this ebook!  The Complete Cat Health Care Guide isn’t just a guide covering the health of your cat.  It’s more like a complete owner’s manual covering all aspects of owning a cat in full detail.

It includes everything from fun facts about cats to health care, nutrition, first aid, training and more.

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Thank you for visiting my website.  I hope you enjoyed this post!

I donate 10% of my earnings to animal charities.  You can see a list of the charities I donate to here. 

If you like this website, please share it with your friends and family who have dogs or cats.  Thank you!  Debra

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