You have adopted a cat and you have noticed that it spends many hours sleeping: but how long does a cat sleep? Here is the sleep requirement for puppy, adult and senior kittens.
One of the first things you notice when you welcome a cat into your family is the immense number of hours it devotes to sleep every day: watching a cat sleep blissfully for most of the day you feel almost a hint of envy, but immediately afterwards it takes over. curiosity and the question “How many hours a day does a cat sleep?”.
The truth is that cats really sleep a lot, because they need it : the cat is by nature a predator and needs energy to devote to hunting its prey. This is why the cat needs a lot of rest: but how long does a cat really sleep? And does your need for rest change according to age? We will find out together in this article.
How long does a cat sleep? The hours of sleep of cats at any age
To stay healthy, a cat’s body needs several hours of rest every day: the reason is linked, as mentioned above, to their nature as predators who need rest and energy to be able to get food.
Domestic cats, however, often sleep for other reasons as well, linked to different aspects: for example, in winter the cat loves to sleep more because during sleep they are able to gain more heat. This is the reason why cats love to lie in the sun or on top of the radiator.
There are also emotional and psychological reasons that contribute to the number of hours that the cat spends a day sleeping: for example, the cat sleeps because it is bored or because every day it spends many hours at home in solitude.
In any case, the cat should sleep following a rhythm of one or two phases of deep sleep and many short naps throughout the day: if the cat sleeps more than it should and with deep sleep instead of short naps, without even getting up to drink or eat. , there may be a health problem. If so, it’s best to take him to the vet right away.
How long does a cat sleep as a puppy?
Kittens sleep even more than adult cats: in its first week of life, a puppy cat can spend up to 20 hours of its day napping.
The puppy cat’s sleep, however, is very light and interspersed with verses and rapid movements of the muzzle and ears.
Furthermore, kittens tend to sleep with their mother and siblings because they are not yet able to regulate their body temperature: in this way, they satisfy their instinct to feel warm and protected.
As your kitten grows, she will tend to sleep less and less and be more active throughout the day.
How long does an adult cat sleep?
An adult cat can sleep an average of 16 hours a day, especially during the hours he spends alone in the house. Usually, the sleep of cats is concentrated in the central hours of the day, while the hunting instinct makes cats more awake and active at dawn and dusk .
The sleep of an adult cat is divided into numerous naps during the day plus one or two phases of deep sleep, which are the ones during which the cat dreams. The general, cats are quite light sleepers and it is very easy to wake them up, or they wake up themselves to change places and go back to sleep.
Among the cat’s favorite places when it sleeps, there are certainly the most unlikely places in the house: even if a cat can sleep almost anywhere, they usually look for cozy places such as bidets, boxes, baskets and containers of all kinds.
How long does an elderly cat sleep?
When the cat gets older, around 10/12 years of age, the number of hours dedicated daily to sleep increases again: an elderly cat becomes more sedentary and calm, and needs to sleep for at least 18/20 hours a day.
The increase in the hours of sleep is part of those behavioural symptoms that indicate the cat’s entry into old age : in fact, it is very difficult for a cat to show visible physical signs of age, but the elderly cat shows changes unequivocal character and behavioural characteristics.
In addition to becoming lazier and less playful, an elderly cat also tends to seek softer beds for its naps and will tend to sleep in places where it did not sleep before : so, if the cat chooses unusual places to sleep, don’t worry!
