How long do cats sleep at night? An amazing question that tends to tweak the minds of many cat owners. Many are usually mesmerized by the sleeping habits of their felines.
Cats tend to have almost the same determining factors for sleeping as human beings. Some of the factors include age, health, environment, and mood among many others.
Imagine if there was an Olympic sleeping competition, your furry friend would automatically emerge as the winner. The sleeping habits of cats tend to be quite unique regardless of the breed.
In this guide, you are going to discover cats’ sleeping habits and the number of hours a feline sleeps at night. Let’s find out:
Do Cats Sleep All Night?
Absolutely yes. But this depends on a couple of things. Cats are known for sleeping too much and being active at any time of the day.
According to the study, many cats tend to wake up their owners very early in the morning due to hunger or boredom.
The research shows that young cats have this reputation and it tends to drive their owners crazy due to sleep deprivation.
Cats are generally nocturnal but sometimes they tend to show diurnal patterns and this is due to their ancestral origin.
The most wonderful thing is that cats can learn to allow their owners to sleep at night in peace. Hence, try to rule out the health issues first when your cat stay awake all night.
Furthermore, you can read our guide about whether cats are nocturnal or diurnal for a detailed understanding of the cat sleeping habits.
Do Cats Prefer To Sleep In The Dark?
The main fact remains that cats tend to sleep too much. The issue of darkness is determined by a couple of factors.
Indoor cats have almost the same characteristics as those of outdoors but domestications have made them change their natural behavior a little bit.
A healthy cat will, therefore, sleep at whatever time they feel safe and comfortable so long as they are not hungry.
Most felines tend to stay awake at night since it is typically the best time for them to hunt for food. This happens since many preys tend to move around during this period.
All-in-all, the issue of preferring to sleep in the darkness is depending on the personality and environment of the individual cat.
How Long Do Cats Sleep At Night?
According to the research by our experts, cats tend to have an average sleeping time of about 15-20 hours in a day.
However, the majority of the cats normally have long sleeping habits during the day and few during the night since this is the time they are more active.
Felines are natural predators and they resume hunting at night since this is the time many preys move around in search of food.
If you happen to notice that your cat sleep too much during the day and little at night then this is the main reason behind the behavior.
If you are worried about the behavior or you’ve spotted unusual behavior of sleeping then consult your vet immediately.
But it is good to understand the sleeping habit of your furry friend to avoid being alarmed by minor things.
Besides that, kittens tend to sleep much during the day as compared to adult cats. You’ll later notice them being active during the odd hours of the night. This is typically a stage of growth.
In case the feline develops the habit of meowing late at night then this could imply that they are sick, hungry or feeling bored.
Therefore, feel free to read our guide about why cats tend to yowl at night. The text will provide deeper insight into that cat’s sleeping habits.
How Do You Make Your Cat Sleep At Night?
Cat meowing can be a nuisance, especially at night. The good news is that you can train your furry friend to sleep at night.
Here are some of the techniques to follow when training her to sleep at night without causing a disturbance. The tricks include:
Readjust Feeding Schedule
Design a timetable for feeding your feline especially if they are used to eating anytime they want. Ensure they have three meals per day at a particular time and this implies that no later or early feeding hours.
Adjust Sleeping Time
Change the sleeping time of your feline by ensuring that they follow your sleeping schedule. Try to sleep earlier so that they can adopt the habit. The trick will minimize the behavior of your cat staying awake throughout the night.
Play Time
If you have a day job this implies that they spend most of the day alone. Therefore, ensure you play with them for some hours until they get exhausted. Tiredness will force them to take a nap.
Ignore Meowing Sound
The behavior is quite common very early in the morning. The good trick to adopt is ignoring them anytime they start to yowl. Doing this for some weeks will force them to cease the behavior.
Remove Temptations
Lights tend to make cats assume is daytime. If your cat tends to stay awake during the darkness then it is good to keep them in a room full of light.
On the other hand, if the light makes them be awake then switch off all the lights in the house. The darkness may enhance sleep.
Final Remarks
Understanding the cats sleeping habits will be a great deal when it comes to having a peaceful night.
It is also good to know some of the things that make your cat go crazy at night and in the process deprive you enough sleeping time.
The best way to deal with the condition is by training them to sleep at night. Once they have fully changed the behavior then you are likely to have adequate sleep.
Never allow your feline friend to deny you time to sleep instead of training them to follow your night schedule. Use the tips highlight in the text and video above. Good luck.
Sources and References
- Susan Daffron. “How Much Do Cats Sleep?” Pet Tail.
- “Is Your Cat Sleeping Excessively?” Vet Info.
