Does Your Cat Oversleep?
Sometimes it can seem like our cat oversleep, for us it’s like he spends all day sleeping. How much does a cat have to sleep? Why do they sleep so much? Let’s look at these and other questions about cat sleep and rest.
How much sleep does a cat need?
It will depend on age, as you already know that puppies sleep longer than adults. Even so, an adult can spend 16 hours a day sleeping, so imagine how much a puppy will sleep!
It is estimated that a puppy can sleep more than 90% of the day, between 20 and 22 hours; he will only wake up to eat and drink.
However, this condition will not last long, because after four weeks this percentage will be reduced to 60%, almost the same as an adult cat.
This habit of sleeping a lot comes from your wild ancestors. Cats have a great skill when it comes to hunting, so for them it was an easy task to get the food to survive.
This guaranteed them a lot of free time, time they invested in rest.
The sleep of cats also largely depends on the environment that surrounds it, because you already know that the cat’s curiosity is something innate in them, and if they have things to look around, sleep less than when they are alone.
Also, heat can cause a cat to oversleep. However, even taking all these factors into account, you already know that cats spend most of the day sleeping.
Does my cat sleep too much?
Perhaps even knowing all this, you still believe your cat oversleep. You could start timing how much time he spends sleeping, as well as whether his behavior has changed.
We say this because if a cat sleeps longer than its age, it can indicate several problems:
- Disease. When a cat is sick, as is the case with all living beings, its mood and energy are low, which leads to a lethargy that plunges it into a deep sleep.
- Pain. Although, in many cases, pain can cause insomnia, in others the opposite occurs, causing drowsiness. This will make time go by faster and it will also have a calming effect on the animal.
- Depression. A depressed animal may not want to do anything and spend all its time sleeping to escape the world around it.
- Stress. You already know that cats are prone to stress when they go through routine changes, such as a move, the arrival of a new family member, or a new pet. Also, if you’ve just adopted your cat, he may be stressed out until he gets used to his new home. Give him some time, and if you see that, since some time has passed, he is still sleeping too much, don’t hesitate to go to the vet.
Oversleeping is typical of cats!
If a cat oversleep but has any of these symptoms, it’s normal. But these situations should not last more than two or three days.
If it persists, it is best to go to the veterinary clinic, so that the doctor can determine the real causes, the root of the problem and, consequently, propose a treatment.
You already know that each animal has its own peculiarity and sleeping too much is typical of cats. Don’t worry if there’s no apparent reason to worry.
Let your cat have its normal sleep cycles. But as we always say, having a pet is a responsibility.
The responsibility of taking care of him includes observing his behavior at all times, as this will give us indications that something is not going well, so we will have to act quickly.
