How Much do Cats Sleep?

If you have a pet cat, you may observe it sleeping all day in various house parts. Is it a symbol of the bad health of your cat? Not, it is normal for cats to sleep around 16 to 20 hours. Duration of sleeping hours varies according to their ages. Here are some sleeping schedules of felines.

• Baby cats

Till four to five weeks after the birth of a kitty, it may sleep up to 20 hours per day. Long sleep is necessary for the growth of baby cats. The greatest growth hormones in cats are released during their deepest sleep, known as the Rem phase. It is more likely that your baby cat not only sleeps longer but also deeper.

• Adult cats

After the fifth week but before adulthood of the cat, its sleeping hours may reduce. It may sleep 65% of the whole day. When the cat steps into adulthood, the duration of sleeping hours increases again. It sleeps approximately 75%  or 15 to 17 hours per day. A cat does not sleep for straight 17 hours. Instead, it takes naps throughout the day; that is why you may see your cat sleeping in different parts of your house.

• Old cats

Every cat does not reach old age simultaneously, but usually, after 12 years, the cat is considered old. After 12 years, it steps into its last years; it becomes more and more sedentary. It may decrease its physical activities that result in increased sleeping hours. It is common for an elderly cat to sleep between 18 to 20 hours a day.

Why do cats sleep so much?

In the wild, cats are mostly nocturnal; feral cats hunt in the nighttime. Your pet may not need to hunt, but it carries many ancestral habits, so it is more likely that your cat may love to explore and play during the nighttime.