Grab Your Blankies & Relax With Some Cat Nap Cuties

Kelli Brinegar

For more than five years, Kelli Brinegar has been using her ability to write and her passion for research to tell the tale of what cats are thinking and why. She has provided care to more than 30 cats in her lifetime.Read more

| Published on May 31, 2020

Naps are the best. There’s nothing like curling up under your favorite blanket with the fan whirring away above while the afternoon sun bakes the land. And cats agree.

The only thing felines prefer to naps is probably a snack, but once that treat is done, it’s back to sleep! But why do cats sleep so much?

Nature tells them to!

Cats are born hunters, usually stalking their prey in the dark of night, or at least at dusk and dawn. So, to be ready for the hours of extreme hunting games, cats need to be well-rested. And much of this rest occurs when humans are awake.

@cats.ya/Instagram

While they sleep 12 – 16 hours a day, Cat International tells us cats actually sleep in three different ways, “the brief nap, the longer light sleep, and the deep sleep.”

The napping cat is on “radar patrol”, remaining alert to any sounds or disturbances around them. The light sleep generally lasts around a half-hour and makes a cat a little more vulnerable to the world as she isn’t as aware of her surroundings. A deep sleep does not last long for a cat, only “six to seven minutes”. During these few moments, you can probably catch your cat twitching and shivering. Don’t worry, he’s only dreaming of catching mousies!

And when cats nap, they are just too cute not to snap a pic. Especially when our kitties curl up for naps in the strangest of places and the silliest of ways!