A sweltering summer afternoon...
I always have to rely on coffee/strong tea and willpower to overcome my strong drowsiness.
If there's also a cat in the office at this point...
Lemon people can't help but cry out a question "from the depths of their souls":
Why do cats sleep so much every day? Are they really asleep? Are they sleeping soundly? Is it okay for them to sleep so much? Do they dream too?...
Today, we'll scientifically answer these questions about the "lemon flavor."
How many hours do cats sleep each day?
Normally, an adult who doesn't stay up late, doesn't suffer from neurasthenia, isn't woken up in the middle of the night by a cat pressing on their chest, or isn't woken up at 5 a.m. by their pet to play or cook... gets about 8 hours of sleep a day.
So, we habitually ask, "How many hours a day does a cat sleep?"
This question is not rigorous enough.
In fact, the more accurate way to ask this question is: "Does the master sleep for more than ten hours a day?"
Adult cats typically sleep 12-14 hours a day. Kittens, senior cats, and cats on rainy days may sleep up to 20 hours a day.
Most cats' daily routines
How can you sleep for so long?
There's a good reason why cats can sleep for so long.
Like lions and tigers in the wild, their rest is actually a way to conserve energy in preparation for an "explosive" hunt.
Herbivores such as cows and horses only sleep 2 to 3 hours a day because the grass they ingest contains relatively little calories and nutrients; in order to meet their body's needs, they have to keep eating and eating.
Selected translations: Human child 16 hours; Tiger 15.8; Lion 13.5; Cat/Cheetah 12.1; Dog 10.8
For purely high-calorie, carnivorous felines, a single meal is equivalent to a whole can of sardines. Therefore, these intelligent and mathematically adept felines effectively reduce calorie expenditure between meals and extend the intervals between hunts by adopting a "eat, sleep, eat" lifestyle.
Being able to sleep is a survival skill.
Cats also talk about "sleep quality".
Human sleep is divided into deep sleep (about 25% of the total sleep time) and light sleep (75%), and the two alternate (deep + light + deep + light..., repeating 5 to 6 times each night). Our sleep quality is mainly determined by deep sleep.
What about the cat? Sleeping for so long all day, does it really get any sleep?
During light sleep, there's a period when the eyes move rapidly from side to side (accompanied by increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and erections), known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is the time when we dream. Therefore, it's said that when the eyes are moving rapidly, we are actually dreaming.
Similar to humans, cats' sleep also includes slow-wave sleep and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep; however, there are some differences in their sleep cycles:
1. A cat's sleep pattern is: 26 minutes awake + 78 minutes asleep + 26 minutes awake + 78 minutes asleep + ... in a cycle;
Human & Cat Sleep Comparison
2. In a cat's 78-minute sleep cycle, there are an average of about 2.6 REM sleep episodes, each lasting 6-7 minutes;
3. The arousal threshold of a cat during REM sleep is approximately 300 times that of non-REM sleep (1967). In other words, a cat is 300 times more easily awakened during light sleep than during deep sleep.
4. The percentage of a cat's REM sleep is 100% in the first 10 days after birth, but it drops sharply to 50% after 28 days. In other words, kittens dream more.
5. When cats are under stress, they will close their eyes and pretend to be sleeping (who are you trying to fool?), but in reality, they are both physically and mentally awake.
How to improve sleep quality
Although cats already sleep a lot, for cats that are weak, sick, kittens, or seniors, it is still necessary for their owners to create a good sleeping environment to improve their sleep quality.
For routine operations, the following points can be considered:
➤ Around 22℃, that's the most comfortable temperature~
Blocking direct sunlight creates a darker environment where you can sleep better.
For cats who like cat beds, a cardboard box with a closed top and side opening provides a feeling of being "wrapped" in, which makes them feel more secure.
