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Pixabay.comCats are the masters of sleep. They can sleep everywhere and anytime. These make them extremely photogenic. They sleep as nature has made them so. A typical cat sleeps for about 16 hours every day. Older cats practically sleep away the day, with 20 hours of happy snoozing. This constant sleep is due to its genetics. Sleep is a product of physiology, evolution, and nutritional habits. Cats in the wild have to hunt to eat. This chasing, killing, and stalking of prey consume huge amounts of energy. Sleep helps cats to conserve energy.
Snooze moreA sleeping cat does not mean the animal is oblivious to the outside world. Far from it, Three-quarters of the total sleep is actually snoozing. The felines in that state enjoy all rest they require but could become aware any moment. Snoozing cat can be differentiated from soundly sleeping cat by their movement. A cat while snoozing will twitch its ears and rotate their heads towards noises. If anything new happens, their eyes will open a little. A cat can snooze even when it sits upright. The doze mode comes naturally to them.This does not mean cats do not enjoy heavy sleep. They even dream. Deep sleep happens more in older cats. A cat in deep sleep can be found out by its eyes tightly closed. A few cats drop their tail over their face. These acts like a sleep mask. A cat must have sufficient deep sleep to stay healthy and also to regenerate itself. Only in deep sleep do a cat dream. A dreaming cat will twitch its paws or whiskers. Yes, cats snore as well.
Cats do snoreA cat snores when its airway gets obstructed by the extra skin from soft palate. This happens when the cat is most relaxed. Sounds of snoring from a happy cat are normal. A few specific feline breeds snore more than their counterparts. These include Exotic Shorthair, Persian, or Himalayan breeds. Do remember that a change in the sleeping habits of your cat is not a good sign. If that happens, contact your veterinarian at the earliest. If you cat sleeps too much, it could be a sign that the cat is in pain or suffer from illness. If the cat wakes up frequently, then hyperthyroidism could be the cause.There are no restrictions on whether the cat could sleep with you. This depends on you rather than the cat. If you are a deep sleeper, then there is no problem in sleeping with the cat in the same bed. However, for light sleepers, this is not advisable. Your cat could jump on you any time of the night and thus disturb your sleep. If this is the case, make the cat sleep in another room.