Features of cat sleep
Sleep is an important behavior that animals cannot lack. .
But we often see cats sleeping all day. Are cats higher than us humans? It seems that cats sleep 16-20 hours a day. Research shows that three-quarters of cat sleep is false sleep, that is, naps. In fact, the time of deep sleep is only 4-5 hours.
In addition to the necessary needs of hunting and mating, cats will avoid danger in a safe place, or wait for an opportunity to ambush their prey.
Now cats don’t have to worry about food, they don’t have to migrate and change their nests, they sleep more, and they can only do things when they have nothing to do. sleep.
Compared with the wild, cats have changed their nocturnal sleeping habits: sleeping during the day can avoid predators such as raptors and beasts, and hunting at night can be more rewarding.
Cats can now sleep multiple times from time to time, sleep anytime and anywhere, and wake up anytime and anywhere.
4 stages of cat sleep
Cat sleep is divided into 4 stages: falling asleep, light sleep, Alternating cycles of deep sleep and dream sleep.
Sleep onset
Sleep onset is the transition from wakefulness to sleep.
At this stage, the cat’s breathing and heartbeat will slow down, and the cat’s limbs will occasionally twitch, which is a prelude to muscle relaxation.
Light sleep period
Light sleep period will secrete inhibitory hormones, reduce muscle activity, and make muscles in a relaxed “paralyzed” state.
The cat’s heartbeat and Breathing slows further, body temperature begins to drop, eye movement stops, brain wave activity slows further, and consciousness gradually declines, and this stage accounts for most of the entire sleep cycle.
Deep sleep
During deep sleep, the cat’s heartbeat and breathing will drop to the lowest level, which will affect the muscles. The inhibitory effect is lifted, and the muscles are completely relaxed.
The level of brain waves also becomes the lowest, and the consciousness is reduced to the lowest. At this time, the growth hormone will promote the regeneration of the cat’s bones and muscles, and the body and immune system will repair quickly.
At this time, it is very difficult to wake the cat, even if you can put a small fish in the cat’s mouth, the cat will not wake up.
Dream sleep period
Dream sleep period is equivalent to human REM sleep period, brain wave level rises rapidly, cat’s dream occurs in this stage,
The cat’s eyeballs
fluctuate rapidly from side to side, the breathing rate gradually recovers, and the heart rate and blood pressure rise to levels close to waking.
The cat wakes up easily at this time. At this stage, some nerves in the cat’s cerebral cortex are in a dormant state, and some nerves are in an active state.
When the dream is too vivid, the cat’s whiskers will shake, the limbs will keep twitching, and even wake up suddenly because of the excessive shaking. .
Common sleeping positions for cats
We divide the sleeping positions of cats according to the direction of their heads and tails when they sleep. For: prone sleeping position, side sleeping position, supine sleeping position, and curled sleeping position.
Squatting sleeping position
Ling sleeping position, as the name suggests, is sleeping on the stomach. According to the cat’s psychological state and alertness, we can divide it into 3 forms.
Normal lying position
The cat’s forelimbs are stretched down and the body is lying on the forelimbs. This sleeping position is often in an area that is not particularly quiet and safe, and the cat is still alert to the surrounding environment. Always be ready to get up and run.
Curved Hands Lying
The cat’s forelimbs are curled up, the cat is relatively relaxed in this posture,
Cats usually use this sleeping position on a stool, sofa, or in a relatively safe position such as a box.
This position is relatively comfortable and psychologically relaxed, but not completely. This sleeping position cat gets up relatively quickly and can quickly transform into the Sphinx sitting position of the Sphinx.
Relaxed lying position
The cat stretches and relaxes all over the body. In this position, the cat is very relaxed, there is no guard, and the cat sleeps very comfortably.
Side sleeping position
Side sleeping position is similar to curled sleeping position, both are sleeping on their side, a key difference is the position of the cat’s tail,
The cat’s tail is usually pointed to the head in the curled sleeping position, and the cat’s tail is naturally stretched in the side sleeping position.
Paddle-style side sleeper
The cat is very relaxed at this time, and the legs are overlapped on the side, like Like paddling,
This is a posture that cats often have when they sleep. This posture allows cats to enter a deep sleep.
Dream Sleeping Side Sleeping
The cat is completely sideways, revealing the belly, the cat is completely relaxed and completely at ease, and the sleeping place may be a quieter area of the home.
The cat may be dreaming at this time, and there will be the phenomenon of kicking its legs, shaking its whiskers, and shaking its tail.
Supine sleeping position
Survival supine
The cat’s upper limbs are pointed overhead, Like a surrender pose.
There is a characteristic of this position. Surrendering on the back is not a natural position. The cat is not asleep.
The owner is adjusting its sleeping position nearby. At this time, the cat is not asleep. Because the owner is next to him, he is very at ease and relaxed.
But this position will not be maintained for a long time after the owner leaves, because the cat is not particularly comfortable sleeping. Simply put, this position is often a pose.
Relaxed supine position
The cat’s supine position is very relaxed and must be in an area that the cat thinks is safe. With this sleeping position,
When the cat is lying on its back, its limbs are stretched freely and naturally, and sometimes it will roll left and right to adjust its posture, adapt to the sun and adjust its attention.
When the cat is lying on its back and you touch it in the past, it is completely unprotected. It will react when it touches the cat and may shake its body.
Curled sleeping position
The cat’s body is completely curled up, the limbs, especially the front limbs, are relaxed, the tail is pointing to the head, and the cat’s head is sideways or lying on its back.
Cats usually curl up very tightly in a small suitable area, with the help of small terrain or small objects.
In this position, the cat sleeps very comfortably. Small objects can enhance the cat’s sense of security. Cats like to sleep in such terrain very much.
Incomplete curled sleeping position
Because no suitable terrain is found, cats sometimes appear in curled sleeping positions in open areas.
At this time, although cats The tail refers to the head, and the body curls up to sleep, but because there is no small object to block or restrain the cat’s body, the cat’s body often cannot be fully curled up.
Especially the forelimbs are not completely relaxed. .
The crouched sleeping position of the terrain teammate cat is very important. If there is no restraint of small objects and small cartons, the cat sleeps naturally and stretches out, which is more labor-saving.
