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Have you ever looked at your cat, snoozing on the sofa or lolling in the sun like they’ve got not a single care in the world?
If so, you’ve probably thought to yourself at least once that, if you get a vote in what you’d like to live another life as, a cat just might be the ticket.
I mean, pets, sleeping all day, and no one throwing you out when you’re in a temperamental mood?
Seems like the good life if you ask me!
Why do cats sleep so much, though? Is there such a thing as sleeping too much? Keep reading to find out!
The average housecat sleeps between 16-20 hours every day because it’s deep in their genes to do just that (even though yeah, they might still be lazy).
If you think all that sack time means your cat isn’t a top-notch predator, though, you’ve got another think coming.
House cats are still cats – still, in their bones, big cats – so they sleep to conserve their energy for the hunt.
Yes, even though all they’re going to be hunting is your feet on the way to the bathroom, the hair ties they steal from your counter, or maybe a fly that’s wandered into its lair.
The 4-8 hours a day your cat is most likely to be active is around dawn and twilight – they’re crepuscular, if you want the official term.
Also important to note: cats don’t typically sleep very deeply.
They have to be ready to spring awake to defend themselves at a moment’s notice – if you’ll notice, they also typically position themselves in a way that makes it easy to leap into action.
They take lighter napes, usually in about 15-30 minute increments, slipping into deeper sleep for 5 minutes at a time.
Hmm. Now that I know all of this, maybe being a cat wouldn’t be as restful as it seems.
Dogs are the way to go.
I should have guessed.