Many people tend to think of kittens as unstoppable balls of energy: they bounce from place to place without breaks. Most of the time, such a view is correct but it's worth noting that the felines also happen to be sleep-happy creatures. Generally speaking, your fluffy friend could spend a good part of the day in Dreamland. That being said, excessive sleeping may indicate issues in kittens. Because of that, don't ever treat the situation lightly if you notice your kitten sleeping a lot, not playing.
Wonder if your furball is sleeping a bit too much? In that case, you have come to the right place. Down below, you shall find virtually everything that cat parents must keep in mind about the sleeping habit of kittens.
The Usual Duration Of Sleep
The rule of thumb here is "the younger the kittens, the more sleep they need". Overall, kittens would sleep less as they age but it's easy for pet owners to catch glimpses of their cats sleeping throughout the day.
On average, a newborn kitten could spend up to 90% of its day snoozing which translates to around 22 hours of shuteye. That means the daily activities of the little one consists of 2 things: sleeping and nursing. Once kitten cry after waking up, it's likely that they need to be fed. At the 6-month mark, your fluffy friend should doze off between 16 and 20 hours a day. When they mature, most cats often sleep from 12 to 18 hours. As a whole, the average felines delicate ¾ of their life to sleeping, give or take.
Why Kittens Sleep So Much
As your furball venture deeper and deeper into Dreamland, its body remains hard at work. In fact, the natural development of the brain, as well as the central nervous system, relies on the regular naps. Besides that, as your kitten sleep, its muscles and bones would be strengthened which offers much-needed boosts to mobility. Additionally, frequent sleep allows the immune system of the felines to stay in top shape. Without enough shuteye, the pets shall be vulnerable to a variety of troublesome health issues.
Aside from the fact that cats have to sleep to stay healthy, the sleeping habit of your fluffy friend is also a product of evolution. The ancestors of modern-day cats sleep through most of the day then head out to hunt as night arrives. Though the domestication process succeeds at removing certain wild traits of the felines, some still remain including the sleep at day-hunt at night cycle. Because of that pattern, experts classify cats as nocturnal predators: they tend to become much more active once night comes.
All things considered, kittens have valid reasons to doze off multiple hours in a day. Your furball would crash virtually everywhere, on the stair, under the shelf, in the bathtub,... That is why it's strongly recommended that you watch your step if you have a kitten in the house. Kittens may suffer severe injuries if people step on them.
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Kittens Sleep All The Times: Beware Of Underlying Health Issues
Of course, kittens spend most of their day sleeping but you have to be careful if you see your kitten sleeping a lot, not playing. In the case the pet seems to be low on energy while awake and sleep excessively, anemia is a possibility. For your information, anemia is a condition in which the amount of red blood cells in the body drops lower than usual, it could be quite dangerous to fragile kittens. You should be able to determine if your kitten is suffering from anemia by checking the color of its gum.
- If you see a light pink, you may take anemia out of the picture
- If you see a pale shade, the pet is having anemia
When you suspect that anemia is at fault, it's widely advised that you take your kitten to the vets. The condition requires medical treatment which means if you leave it untreated, the life your furball would be in danger. If it actually turns out that anemia is not the issue, use the opportunity to ask for recommendations about kitten sleeping a lot, not playing. When cat parents feel confused by the behavior of kittens, it's a good idea to seek help from professionals.
Improving The Sleeping Habit Of Kittens: Hints For Pet Owners
A lot of novice cat parents also wish to know how to optimize the sleep of their kittens while talking about the issue if kitten sleeping a lot, not playing. Check out the following suggestions to settle down your furball.
- Designate A Proper Sleeping Quarter: Considering the importance of sleep to kittens, it's essential that people give them a place to doze off peacefully. Such a place must be away from high traffic areas and possesses enough necessities in order to sustain the felines. People in the house, especially young children, should be informed about the kittens so they don't disturb the sleep of the pets by mistake. Keep in mind: cats only thrive they get enough sleep.
- Be Strict To The Felines: Kittens learn quickly so if your furball concludes that it's able to get your attention at nighttime, you would soon suffer from sleep-deprivation. Cat parents need to learn to ignore kittens if the pets come for affection in the middle of the night. Each time you drag yourselves up just to respond to your kittens, it shall be more stubborn at waking you up in the subsequent nights. Hence, unless you suspect something is wrong, pay no mind to the meowing of your fluffy friend at 2 A.M.
- Incorporate Interactive Play At Daylight: The lively nature of kittens means they like to play, you could use that to your advantage by setting up play sessions during the day. That should be sufficient to tire out the felines to the point that they leave the pet owners in peace at night which is great. As a precaution, get a couple of toys from pet stores in order to keep your kitten busy after sunset.
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