Cats do a lot of endearingly crazy, funny, affectionate , and sometimes neurotic things — and if you’re a cat person, that’s why you love your cats. But mostly, what cats do is sleep.
In fact, cats are the champion snoozers of the animal kingdom , and certainly among domesticated companion animals, there are none that can match a cat for its ability to accumulate vast quantities of shut-eye.
Big cats in the wild snooze about 16 hours per day, and your friendly pet tabby is no different. But cat sleep is not quite the same as human sleep. When we sleep, for those of us without serious sleep disorders, our nightly slumber or even our afternoon nap is pretty much full system shut down. When we’re out, we’re out. Wake us up, and we sluggish humans usually need a good half-hour, or even more, before our brains — not to mention our bodies — kick into gear. And for many of us, that still doesn’t happen without a jolt of caffeine to move the process along.
Not so for cats. While your pet kitty may seem like a lovable, funny furball on the outside, on the inside, it’s brain and instincts are mostly the same as its wildcat cousins — who are always on the lookout for predators and prey, whether they’re asleep or not. That’s why when a cat wakes up, it needs no time at all to go from “out cold” to “ready to rumble.”
And because cats need such vast amounts of sleep — and because their bodies are highly flexible — cats are not choosy about their sleeping accommodations. Sure, a cat might appreciate silk sheets and a nice, cozy cat bed. But if you watch your cat sleep often enough, you’ll realize a cat can take or leave those luxuries. In fact, luxury for a cat is usually a cardboard box . Boxes remind cats of caves or dens where they’re safe from predators. And if cats aspire to one thing in life, even more than sleep, it’s security.
Cats will fall asleep anywhere, and in any position. And if you don’t believe us, we’ve got the pictures to prove it.
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Combining two favorite cat activities. Sleeping, and staring out the window.
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Cats are natural contortionists, even when dozing off. Maybe especially when dozing off.
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They say some people start to look like their pets as they get older. On the other hand, some start young.
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Just think I’ll doze off for a stretch. Stretch . Get it? Stretch?
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You ever sleep on one of those roll-out couches where the bar is right in your midsection? Yeah, that’s annoying…
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Actually, that looks pretty cozy.
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Pour some milk in there, maybe some berries — delicious!
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If the basket fits — or even if it doesn’t…
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Cats can even sleep sitting up. Wait — do cats sit up?
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If you can’t find a blanket…
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If you’re going to make a Xerox of your butt, the idea is to get out of there as fast as you can…
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Just don’t try to roll over.
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Burgers, hot dogs and…
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Flying economy class…
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One of these cats is comfy.
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Getting in was the easy part.
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Slip sliding away…
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Even cats benefit from advances in technology.
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Reading make me sleepy.
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Great minds think alike, and sleep alike.
What’s the weirdest way your cat has ever napped?
