It's normal for cats to sleep a lot in winter, as they conserve energy and reduce heat expenditure during this season. Cats typically sleep about twice as much as humans. A typical cat can sleep 12-16 hours a day, while older cats can sleep 18-20 hours, making it seem like they're constantly sleeping. In winter, they sleep even longer, which is simply a feline instinct.
If a cat lives to be 18 years old, only 6 years of that time is spent not sleeping. Studies show that three-quarters of a cat's sleep is light sleep, or naps. So, although it seems like a cat sleeps for 16 hours a day, it actually only sleeps soundly for about 4 hours. How can you tell if a cat is sick if it sleeps a lot in winter? You can judge by its sleeping posture. If the cat keeps changing positions, adopts a prone sleeping position (similar to a hen crouching), its sleep duration is different from usual, and it has a poor appetite, it may be sick. Furthermore, a healthy cat will immediately become energetic and lively after sleeping, but a sick cat will be listless, unwilling to eat or play.
