The Cat Breeds that Love Sleeping

BY | August 19 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY

Image Credits: Pixabay

If you are looking for a cat which spends most of its time sleeping, you are in luck. Although there are breeds which are known for their hilarious antics, there are several felines which prefer a laid-back lifestyle.

These cats love to spend time with you while you watch your favorite show on Netflix. They donโ€™t need a lot of attention, as they can take care of themselves. As a result, if you live in an apartment or lead a busy lifestyle, you can adopt one of these five cat breeds:

American Shorthair

One of the least demanding breeds of felines is American Shorthair, which has European descents. They are popular among cat owners, because of their laid-back and gentle attitude towards life.

The American Shorthair prefers to sleep on your sofa with you beside it, rather than running circles around your garden. However, they are known to get obese, so make sure you give them ample amounts of exercise, to prevent excess weight gain. If you get it a lot of cat toys, you wonโ€™t ever face this problem in the future.

Exotic

They are similar to Persians, but with shorter coats, making them excellent low maintenance four-legged companions. Exotic breed of felines is peaceful and quiet by nature, due to which they love sleeping on your bed.

They wonโ€™t have any trouble living in an apartment, as long as you spend enough time with them. Do make sure you pet them while you are at home, as they love getting attention from you.

Maine Coon

Despite their large size, they are extremely gentle, making them the perfect cuddling companions. They tend to be affectionate towards you while remaining quiet all the time. The best part is their gentle nature, which ensures they remain calm and composed in your household.

You can relax with the Maine Coon, after a long day at work, as there is nothing more they love than spending time with their owner.

Ragdoll

Ask any cat owner about Ragdolls, and you will only hear stories of them lying around, relaxing, and spending time with them. They are not energetic like a lot of felines, due to which they can adapt to sedentary lifestyles easily.

One of their favorite activities all time is to be in your arms, as they love all the attention you give them. If you have children, donโ€™t worry, as these breeds are extremely gentle.

Persian

Out of all the cat breeds in this list, none love sleeping more than Persians. Even if you spend a lot of time at home, they prefer lazing around and relaxing. As long as they can avoid high-energy activities, they will lead a happy life.

Out of all these cat breeds, which one are you going to adopt so that you have the perfect sleeping companion?

Activate the Athlete in Your Lazy Cat!

For domesticated cats, physical inactivity is the rule rather than the exception.

Cats are predators by nature, built to hunt down prey for food, evading higher predators to survive.

With domestication, these survival instincts are suppressed, as food is readily available, and there are no dangerous predators to contend with.

Unfortunately, ever since they started living with man, the laziness of man has rubbed off on cats, and they have also gotten a fair share of the attendant woes.

The narrative is even worse for cats that are confined indoors, with almost no form of physical or mental stimulation from the environment.

But wait, is this truly an issue? Should you worry about the physical inactivity in your pets? What are the concerns with a lazy cat?

A lazy cat is certainly not the best of pets. Itโ€™s no fun to be around. It gives its owner undue worries.

Because a lazy cat is less active, itโ€™s more likely to come down with a host of chronic, debilitating health conditions associated with physical inactivity.

These include obesity, diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and immobility. Unfortunately, these can ultimately shorten the lifespan of your feline friend.

An obese cat is likely to be lazy; a lazy cat is more likely to be obese.

So, how exactly can you make your cat more active?

You just need to get them to hit the gymโ€ฆor at least exercise since there are no cat gyms around yet.

The following tips can help you activate the athlete buried somewhereโ€ฆdeep downโ€ฆin your favorite feline โ€“

Optimize your environment

Create a conducive environment for play. Cats' predator instincts are readily aroused by movements and moving objects. Create visually captivating patterns.

Toys and other tools should be positioned strategically. For instance, having a cat seek out a toy under a pile of bed sheets is more effective at stimulating activity than simply keeping the toy on a table.

Also important, do a safety check at home from time to time.

As your cat becomes more active, the chances of accidents and injuries from carelessly placed objects increase. Look out for pins, needles, threads, exposed wires, and other items that can cause one form of injury or the other, and get rid of them.

Play with them

Make out time to play with your cat regularly. Play provides exercises for weight management and physical fitness. It also builds mental health and cognition.

Plus, bonding between the cat and its owner is maintained through play.

Common questions cat lovers ask

ร˜  How long should I play with my cat?

 

40 minutes of play per day is adequate.  Divide the total time into several sessions, thus, four 10-minute sessions daily will suffice.

ร˜  What if it doesn't show interest?

 

Unlike dogs, cats are a bit more reserved. They may not show interest at all in play or may lose interest easily. It's difficult to motivate lazy humans, let alone cats! Be patient with your lazy cat.

Try different types of play. Make it interesting!

ร˜  How do I play with my cat?

 

Most animals appreciate love and attention. Cats are no different. Call out your cat's name from time to time. Seek her out and make her feel loved.

Examples of Lazy Cat Games

รผ  Hide and Seek

 

You can play hide and seek with both your human partners and your feline friends.

Apart from hiding and seeking each other, you can hide several things of interest and let your cat seek them out.

Hide toys in different parts of the house. Place her food at different locations to increase their activity levels.

รผ  Laser Lights

 

Light from laser pointers can be used to create illusions of a moving object. You can point the light in one direction and have your cat chase it while you move the light to a different point.

Lasers are generally safe, but take care to avoid direct contact with the cat's eyes. Also, avoid pointing to areas not safe for your cat to land.

รผ  Strings games

 

Similar to the laser exercise, you can connect a toy to a string, fling the string close to your cat, and retrieve it as it attempts to catch it. Repeat the sequence over and over, throwing the string at different locations.

 

Allow the cat to occasionally catch the toy, so it doesnโ€™t get worn out and lose interest. Take one for the team!

 

There are several automated versions of the above strategies, such as Automated Laser Systems. These provide a great source of fun for your cat without much stress to you.

รผ  Handy toys

 

Toys can help engage a lazy cat and increase her activity level. Many cat owners, however, find out that their cats easily lose interest in toys, and they have to get new ones to provide new interest.

They eventually spend so much on toys without commensurate gains. You can reduce expenses by getting a fixed set of toys and introducing them one after the other to the cat.

รผ  Recycle toys to maintain interest

 

Toys with built-in incentives are ideal. The cat gets a reward for playing with the toy.

Good examples are toys that involve solving food puzzles. This helps stimulate their instincts and keep them working out.

When real toys are not available, you can always improvise. For instance, wrapping the cat's food with tapes and bands, and having her loosen them to get the food is a good alternative to the food puzzle toys.

รผ  Posts and trees

 

Scratching posts/pads are useful to help cats stretch their bodies. They also help sharpen their claws and provide necessary alternative scratching surfaces to your furniture.

Cat trees are built to inspire your cat to climb. You can also place incentives on different parts of the tree to further stimulate climbing. There are so many ways to get them to become a bit more active with this.

Variety is the spice of life. Combine exercises.  Vary strategies. Just make it interesting!

We can't possibly discuss all the ways to activate your lazy cats within a short article.

But the following are worthy mentions โ€“

Healthy, balanced nutrition

This will provide the needed nutrients for increased activity and overall health.

Check with your vet to find out foods that are safe for your cat and the ones to get rid of.

Fresh catnips

Not known to have untoward effects, catnips provide your cat with pleasant feelings, increasing its activity in seeking more of it.

Peer influence

You may consider getting a companion cat for your lazy cat. It can stimulate play and increase activity levels of your cat.

Vet visit

It's very important to note that laziness, decreased energy, and loss of interest may well be signs of disease in your cat. A visit to the vet helps rule out serious medical conditions.

A lazy cat is not lazy by choice. Simulating the natural environment of the cat will help awaken it instincts, sharpen its mind, and improve its health.

How to Exercise Your Lazy Cat?

It is okay if your cat is always sleeping. Most cats spend their daytime sleeping. They reserve their energy for night-time playing and hunting. Since you must sleep at night, you should make your cat play during the day too. The playing activity will make your cat tired, and both of you can sleep without any disturbance.

Check for health issues

However, if your energetic cat suddenly seems to be uninterested in playing games, and does not look towards toys, take it to the veterinarian. There could be health issues involved in making the cat lethargic. If your cat loves to stay indoors, it is your responsibility to give it exercise. Your job is to stimulate it so that the cat exercises. To do this, you have to change the immediate environment.

Finding the correct toy

You should find toys which your cat likes. This is tricky as each cat has a unique taste and all are picky. It is not sufficient to have a house filled with cat toys. Your cat would like a particular toy and exclude all others. To understand what to buy, carefully observe your kitty. If it is unmoved by a mechanical mouse but jumps up when it sees a dangling toy, you know what to buy. Do not hesitate to buy a few kinds of toys to find out the kind of toys it likes best.

It is not enough to buy your cat toys. You must play with it too. This is critical to make your lazy cat an active animal. The toys are fun, but your cat will be joyous if you play with it. Buy a laser pointer and switch it on to activate the natural prey instincts of your cat. A wand toy is also a good buy in this regard. Hide the toy sometimes to encourage your cat to search and hunt. Give a treat at the end. It will make the cat feel that he has hunted down the prey. Buy a few battery operated toys; these are excellent if your kitty loves to pounce on things. Some battery toys can be set with a timer so that they become active even when you are not at home. You can give food puzzles to your cat so that the kitty's meal times are not only delicious but adventurous too.

Buy premium quality food for your cat. Giving it cheaper food mean it does not get all the nutrients needed to be active and healthy. Speak to the veterinarian about your kitty's particular dietary requirements. Get suggestions on what type of food would be the best for your cat. Remember to give your furball enough water as dehydration leads to lethargy.

Was this article helpful?

You May Also Like

Image for Living With a Deaf Cat: Causes and Treatments
Living With a Deaf Cat: Causes and Treatments

How to Cope With Having a Deaf Cat

Read More
Image for Top 11 Tips to Care for a Maine Coon
Top 11 Tips to Care for a Maine Coon

Your Maine Coon Cat Requires Special Care, Hereโ€™s What You Need to Do

Read More