How Many Hours Do Cats Sleep a Day?

how many hours do cats sleep in a day

Does your little cat like to spend the whole day resting and taking a nap? Is this normal?

yes, it actually is!

If you see that your cat likes to spend the day asleep or relaxing there really is no need to worry.

Cats are, by nature, very sleepy animals.

Here, I will answer all your questions about this and any doubts you may have, and also talk about how many hours our little friends sleep in a day.

How Many Hours Do Cats Sleep?

At some point in our lives we are inevitably going to envy our furry friend for the number of hours he seems to spend sleeping during the day.

Also, the extreme calmness our cats have when they nap is totally worthy of envy, don’t worry, you are not the only one who has looked at their cat with jealous eyes from time to time…

It is also funny how they look for unusual places to sleep in almost all the time.

Whether in his bed, in the office chair, on the laptop, or even the most peculiar or unusual place for you, they seem to be able to pull anything off when it comes to the noble sport of sleeping…

But it is not our place to question this, as they are experts when it comes to selecting their favorite sleeping places after all.

Although it seems incredible, our cats need all these hours of rest to be healthy and happy, as long as this does not exceed the healthy amount of sleep they need.

We already know that everything in excess is wrong and you can in fact have too much of a good thing…

So, are you curious about how much time your cat spent in the dreamlands?

If you start counting and timing the hours and time in which your cat sleeps, it would not surprise you if they added a total of between 15 and 16 hours in one day.

These animals basically spend the whole day either sleeping or grooming themselves.

Know anyone like this? I do.

However, stray cats or domestic cats with access to the outside of the garden and nature tend to reduce their resting time considerably.

The difference between how many hours an adult domestic cat sleeps and a wild one will depend greatly on how exciting their life indoors is, and how much stimulation there is inside the house.

Usually, inside, there is no prey to hunt and no new spaces to explore and new adventures to be had.

Therefore, the cat chooses to sleep to kill the time.

Most of these sleeping hours will take place during the day as these are nocturnal animals.

Despite all the hours I mentioned, the average adult cat does not sleep all the 16 hours in a row, but you will notice that it takes numerous naps as the day passes.

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how many hours do cats sleep a day?

He can wake up easily from these naps which he enjoys in many different fun spaces around the house, everything is ultimately to find comfort and have a pleasant nap.

In addition to these naps, the cat goes through deep sleep stages once or twice during the day.

They are nocturnal by nature and instinct, they hunt at night, and that is the reason why they will still be more active at night times even if they are not hunting.

They will only be walking around the house or being active in some other way, and this is why it is recommended to have a lot of toys or possible distractions available for them to avoid any disasters.

Another good point to note is that this habit of theirs to be nocturnal is due to the lack of physical activity during the day itself, so it is expected that they will generally choose to spend the day sleeping if they spend the day alone by themselves.

The day for them begins when you come home and interact with them, and they are fed, cared for and played with.

Therefore, to answer how many hours on average a cat sleeps, one would have to say “it depends”, since the sleeping time will depend on the environment in which the cat lives and, of course, other determining factors such as age or health.

Now here is the interesting part….

As I mentioned before, house cats have many behaviors that are there thanks to their wild cousins.

This is why we should not think that since it is a domestic animal, it will not need to run, hunt, explore the world, and have a new challenge every day for their enjoyment and well being. These are very curious and observant animals indeed.

If your cat likes to sleep out of boredom and ends up sleeping too much as a result, then it can end up suffering from feline obesity in some cases which will cause him to lose agility.

He will also become lazier as a whole.

Not to mention that this is risky because it can cause more health problems to develop eventually and we do not want our beloved cat to go through that.

The idea is to have it healthy, and there is nothing better than having a happy, entertaining, and healthy cat.

This is the reason why it is essential to adapt unique spaces in the house for our cat to play in, and encourage it to be active and fit.

These spaces for them are good for their well being, whether it is for lunchtime or a dedicated playing area to stimulate their mind.

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how long do cats sleep, really?

How Many Hours Does a Cat Sleep Normally?

As mentioned before, the average cat sleeps between 15 and 16 hours a day combined.

It takes up the whole day essentially for them, this important task.

However, cats sleep much more when they are small and young kittens.

These cute babies can sleep about 20 hours if they want to, and cats with more years to them can also sleep around 20 hours in a single day intermittently if they feel like doing so.

Also read: why do cats sleep so much?

How Many Hours Does a Small Cat Sleep?

During their first days of life, kittens sleep practically constantly and all day, reaching 20 hours.

They only get up from their sweet slumber to eat and then go back to sleeping once more.

In newborn kittens, this occurs because they do not interact with their environment. After all, the first days of life do not need to be awake to do so.

This is why they only sleep and eat, in the warm safety of their mothers arms… or paws rather.

Later on, as the kittens grow larger and more aware, these hours of sleep decrease until they can be adapted to any regular adult cat’s sleeping schedule.

When we talk about how many hours a kitten sleeps, you should not be too surprised to find out that they do spend most of the day sleeping it away.

Like I previously explained, their only objective is basically to eat, sleep, grow and develop. This does require quite a lot of energy to do of course.

This is why they do not only sleep for longer than grown cats, but they also sleep soundly, just like young human kids do. They just need to grow up big and strong.

How Many Hours Does an Old Cat Sleep?

Older cats are less active due to their age, so their muscular appearance has been reduced noticeably, and also their ability to run, jump, or climb diminish as well. Being active becomes more difficult for them in their old age.

Besides, cat “owners” often make a mistake regarding their older cats and stop playing with them regularly and do not stimulate them as before, thinking that they do not need it.

Doing this is a mistake since it can actually accelerate the degeneration of their joints, causing the lack of interest in staying active on a physical and cognitive level.

In general, older cats can sleep about 20 hours since they like to rest in quiet places in peace, away from the stressful areas where people walk around in.

They seek out quiet and warm places where they know nobody will bother them and they feel safe.

Do cats dream?

Do Cats Dream?

Besides knowing how many hours of sleep our adorable felines need in a day, many of us curious humans may also wonder if they dream like we do?

And…what would a cat dream about? Mice?

…Us?

First, we must clarify that cats do not dream all the time, but only when they are in the correct phase of deep sleep.

There are some studies where the dreams of dogs and cats have been studied.

In the cats case, it was discovered that apparently, they tend to dream of mice or small prey that move around. I think that makes perfect sense now that I know it.

In conclusion, their dreams are based simply on their hunting instinct and maybe to some degree, what they desire.

So, it is logical that they dream of any target to kill and eat.

It is incredible really how even though it is a relatively small and harmless domestic animal, it still has those wild hunting instincts buried within itself just like it’s wild feline cousins.

Remember that cats are curious animals, their dream also influences whether they are alone or in their humans company.

If they are surrounded by human activity or other animals, they will be less peaceful than when they are alone, since there is nothing bothering them and such.

When there are no noisy humans around then they can take the opportunity to rest nicely.

This is also why when you are away from home, your furry friend will choose to sleep several times a day, so do not think that he will be a good guardian for you.

When they wake up, cats have a particularly adorable habit of stretching their body dramatically and cleaning themselves almost cartoonishly.

But why do they do this?

It is essential to know that this charming gesture helps to reactivate their bodies circulation and to stretch their muscles and joints nicely.

Yes, it actually does serve a purpose it seems.

What is this “ritual” they have, after waking up?

If you are around your cat almost all the time you will surely know it by heart now.

It only consists of reluctantly waking up, yawning, stretching its front legs, and finally, it’s back legs while arching it’s entire body.

It is why people so often joke about yoga cats.

So do not be anxious if your cat sleeps a lot, remember that nature is wise.

Cats are expert hunters that are quick to get food, which allows them to sleep peacefully for longer than many other animals that are known for being clumsier.

Many people think that cats sleep during the day because they are nocturnal animals, but the truth is that they also sleep during the night as well, even if they still do most of their napping during daytime.

Now that you have read all about “how many hours do cats sleep in a day”, you may also enjoy reading our fun article about how to take care of a new cat!

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Author: Cathour

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