My Cat Sleeps Too Long
by Cath
(Halifax)
Cat Asleep photo added by Admin - photo by Nimages DR
Does my cat sleep too long? She seems to sleep all the time. She only wakes up for food and a bit of a walk. Then she goes back to sleep again. I am worried that she may be ill and hiding it. I'd like some advice please.
Admin: I can understand. Cats sleep for about 70% of the day anyway. My cat is old and she seems to sleep for ever. Cats will, it seems, sleep longer as they get older. Lethargy can be a sign of illness but if there are no other symptoms, extended periods of sleep are probably normal. In any case lethargy is not the same as sleeping.
70% of the day works out as 13-18 hours a day. In fact 70% is exactly 16.8 hours. Cats will tend to get up and go out when we are coming in and settling down. This is because they are crepuscular (go out at dusk and dawn to hunt). This gives them an advantage because of their specialist eyesight and animals come out at these times too.
Only the possum and bat sleep more than the cat! Their long hours of sleep is due to their efficiency at survival in the wild. If you can get the food fairly efficiently that leaves plenty of time to rest in between. Also their diet is protein rich whereas a grazer eating grass has to do it almost indefinitely.
Of course a lot of the time a cat is napping and able to jump into action within a very short time. My first thought is that your cat is OK but if other symptoms accompany abnormal sleep patterns a visit to the vet is indicated without delay.
My Cat Sleeps Too Long to Cat Facts
My Cat Sleeps Too Long -- Photo published under creative commons: