The Sleeping Habits of Cats
All cats sleep a lot more than other mammals, including dogs and humans. And some cats sleep a lot more than other cats. People who like statistics say that cats sleep anything from 13 to 18 hours during a single 24 hour period. They also say it’s mostly got to do with age of the cat, the personality and general disposition of the cat, and also whether the cat is bored or not. I’m not convinced of any of these explanations. I think it’s just like us humans. Some cats need more sleep, and some cats are simply lazier than other cats. We’re not that predictable, and nor are they.
Then there’s the issue of when cats sleep. Essentially nocturnal by nature, cats tend to be more active at night than during the day. Having said that, many cats are crepuscular, preferring to hunt and explore in twilight, at dusk and dawn. And many cats sleep on and off all day and all night. Again, they are not that predictable. Then, there’s the question of WHERE they sleep? Cat beds are big business, but are these the first choice for felines (from the feline point of view)? Now think about yourself. Chances are you have a bed that you sleep in at night. You may also have a favorite sofa where you sometimes snooze during the day. Perhaps you have a hammock in the garden, or a sun lounger, where you lie and read … and sometimes take a catnap, dozing off for a short while just like cats tend to do.
So why should we be so surprised to discover that cats like to sleep in different places too? Why do so many of us get frustrated when our feline friends don’t instinctively stick with the color-coordinated cat beds we buy for them? Why do we tend to get angry when they ignore their soft, comfortable cat beds altogether? The thing is that cats, like most human beings, have minds of their own. Unlike dogs that can be taught to obey our command, cats are single-minded and they can be hugely defiant. Furthermore, their expectations of us are as great as our expectations of them.
So what’s the answer when it comes to providing sleeping quarters for our cats and kittens?
I don’t have a definitive answer, but I do have a suggestion for people who feel strongly that a cat should have its own bed. Provide one, but be aware that your efforts may be ignored or rejected. And don’t be hurt by the response you get once you have spent time, effort and money finding what you believe is the perfect place for your feline friend to sleep. Also, be prepared to share your favorite sleeping place with your feline friend if you have to, even if you don’t want to. If you can’t come to terms with this idea, then maybe a cat isn’t the right kind of companion for you.
First off, a favorite sleeping place for most cats is the bed – your bed, not their bed! If you don’t want to share it, you’re going to have to be very firm and consistent. But cats can be very persistent, although some are more persistent than others. If you can succeed in training a cat that wants to sleep in your bed, and persuade it to sleep elsewhere, you will be lucky.
I personally don’t mind where my cats sleep, except on my pillow. The fact that I’m allergic and often wake up with an aching back after a cat has snuggled up in the night in the crook of my knee isn’t too much of a problem. Vacuum cleaners and hard-bristled or rubber brushes can help get rid of cat hair quite quickly. Many of us (happily I fit this description) build up a resistance to what we are allergic to and eventually stop sneezing. I don’t want a cat right in my face though, although it does happen now and then. That’s the point at which I start to get a little nasty.
Now here’s the fun part. Because I am not fussy about where my cats sleep, I get the chance to monitor their choice of bed. One thing that is very clear is that they aren’t consistent. This week’s bed is not necessarily where they will be next week. They can also be incredibly perverse. For example a soft suitcase on top of my cupboard has become a favorite bed for cats. But I currently have three cats, and they seem to take it in turns to sleep there. There appears to be an unspoken agreement in terms of time span – or perhaps it’s just that when the one tires of jumping onto this rather high perch, another one steps in. The cat that is currently in residence on the suitcase seldom leaves her bed. She sleeps all night and only ventures out when she needs to eat, do her business, and stretch her legs. Then she’s back. She does sometimes just sit there and watch the world go by, but mainly it’s her place to sleep.
A previous favorite place for this same cat was a dining room chair that I persuaded her to try by putting n old, red mohair blanket onto it. She liked that, I thought, until I realized she moved from there onto my laptop (on the dining room table) during the night. The telltale evidence was white hair on the laptop and on the table top. Now how not-soft is that? But it can be warm. The funny thing though is that there’s nowhere else inside that she will sleep, not even on a human’s bed. She was a stray we rescued and we think her eye sight is suspect, which could explain the strange behavior. It’s taken a long while for her to trust us at all.
Of the other two, one has a definite predilection for our bed – day and night, except when my husband is in the lounge. Then the couch or preferably his lap, are the best places for her to sleep. I don’t think she really enjoys the suitcase, but will grab her chance now and then when the spot becomes vacant. She also snuggles into the dirty washing in the bathroom from time to time. I don’t think this rates top of her choice of cat beds, but it rates near the top for my third cat. But then he’s a real tomcat through and through.
The tomcat – named Gus in honor of T. S. Eliot’s “theatre cat” – is the one that rolls in the dirt and catches rats on an almost daily basis. He often prefers to sleep out-and-about rather than wallow in the home comforts the two girls prefer. An adopted baby of the half-blind puss-cat (and nearly double her size), he’s a tough baby. He’ll spend hours in the dirty washing and then decide the bed is a better, slightly cleaner place to be. Or he’ll decide he wants to be social and will curl up on a side table and purr. He especially likes to sleep on top of books and computer screens (although he’s not particularly keen on the laptop).
I don’t know whether it’s just because I don’t mind where my cats sleep, but they do seem to be able to sleep anywhere at all. Not that this means it’s a permanent bed or sleeping domain that they choose. For instance, I remember a kitten once passing out in his food bowl. Now I would never suggest this as a recommended sleeping place, but it does show that he wasn’t threatened or in any way inconvenienced by the humans around him. I doubt that he was comfortable, but he was tired. I think there may be a few human around who identify with that one!
Sunny spots outside are also good for sleepy kitties. It’s almost as though sunshine spells sleep. This is when softness doesn’t seem to matter at all. Instead it’s the warmth from the surface that they enjoy soaking up. I suppose you could liken that to lazing on a rather hard beach instead of lying on an air-filled lilo. Who cares whether you’re lying in the grass, on a concrete footpath or a window sill when you’re soaking up the sun? Contentment is hard to define if it isn’t you who is content.
I’ve learnt over the years that as long as my cats have love, food, water and the opportunity to find a nice, comfortable place to sleep, they are generally happy. And when they’re happy, I’m happy.
Additional Articles on Cat Health
