myKotty Cats can sleep around 16-20 hours a day. Can you imagine, fabCats, doing completely nothing for 20 hours a day? We must admit – cats are fascinating. And though some may be jealous of this much free time, we can’t help but wonder – doesn’t sleeping that much get boring? Cats found a purrfect solution for this – the number of places they find to nap on and the number of poses they can curl themselves into gives almost endless possibilities.
Today we’re looking under the cat duvets and searching their bedrooms for answers. Come with us, fabCats – let’s check if sleeping like a shrimp or Sphynx is really as comfortable as cats make it seem.
How do cats choose their sleeping position?
Let’s start with some facts about cat naps. The position our fluffy companions choose to sleep in isn’t random at all. As it turns out, there are three main, deciding factors here:
- nap length (is it a short nap in front of the tv or maybe a long and deep, regenerating sleep?),
- surroundings (is it cold or hot, is the cat bed small or gives a full freedom of movement?),
- situation (does the cat feel safe or will someone interrupt their nap, are there any distractions around?).
Additionally we have to take cat’s preferences into consideration (some fluffy friends like sleeping curled up), how they’re feeling and many more, small things that can change from day to day. Be smart and choose one pose here – impawssible!
Deep sleep or nap on high alert?
It’s a very important question that all cats ask themselves before taking a spot on the cat bed.
“Am I tired enough to sleep like a log? Or maybe I just want to nap, kill some time and have the hoomans in sight at all times?”
This decision will impact the cat’s sleeping position as well as the place they choose to sleep on. If it’s deep sleep, cats always choose spots where they can feel safe – they fall asleep where they can let their guard down and simply rest. If it’s a nap, on the other hand, cats often go for places where they can be together with everyone in the house – spots where something is going on. After all, you can’t miss all the important events of the day!
The sleeping poses of a cat yoga master
Dear fabCats, time for the main course. In the cat dictionary of naps and lounging there are so many different sleeping positions, it’s impossible to describe them all. So today we chose those which our cats use the most – we’re curious if you find your cats in the same poses just as often as we do?
SPHYNX POSE
Dignified like a statue by the egyptian pyramids, alert like a hunting tiger and fluffy like a freshly baked loaf of bread – sphynx is a pose used and loved by all cats! Their paws are slightly stretched forward, parallel to the ground or tucked under, like a classic loaf. This position allows a cat to jump up at any moment and though their eyes may seem closed, your furry friend knows very well what’s happening around them.
ON THE SIDE
This pose is often referred to as “shrimp pose”, though for us the shrimp is more of a rolled up position. Here, the cat lies on their side, with paws stretched in front of them or slightly tucked up, like the cat was running in their sleep. Some kitties choose this one in the summer, as it uncovers more of their body and lets them cool off, but at the same time it gives them a chance to get up quickly and run or chase a fly.
A ROLLED UP SHRIMP
Our team cat Tosia is an expert in the shrimp pose. The cat is lying on their belly here, with paws stretched up in front of them, their face resting on the paws and with back legs on the side, straight or tucked away. The pose allows your cat to get up quickly but, from experience, it’s a really relaxing one – Tosia can sleep like that for a really long time.
SEAL POSE
The seal pose or baguette pose is utterly cute and again, it’s one of those poses that allow your cat to get up quickly if it’s necessary. The cat is laying a little bit on the belly, a little bit on the side, with their head resting on their paws and the rest of the body stretched out straight or they can roll on their side, like Kitku Yoda here, being a more chilled out version of a baby seal. The stretched out paws in the back resemble a seal tail and that’s the reason we call it the seal pose.
SPRING POSE
Also known as the corkscrew, the spring pose is the one which we see and can’t help but ask: “Cat, are you comfortable?”. The fact that cats love being flexible is known to all cat Guardians, but the fact that they can sleep on their back, with front paws turned to the right and back paws to the left is simply a level so high, it’s only available for the most experienced of cat yogies.
DONUT POSE
Or just a cat ball. Cat’s curled up, with their head touching the back paws and the front paws often almost completely covering the head is a classic among the classics. Cats love sleeping like that when they need to rest up and sleep deeply, when they feel 100% safe. It often happens that a cat who’s all curled up can dream, twitch, move their whiskers and face, go into zombie mode (with eyes slightly open) or even purr and growl.
BELLY UP
Sleeping on the back isn’t a cat’s favourite for one reason – showing their belly requires a maximum level of trusting their surroundings. However, cats do pick this pose incredibly often when they feel comfortable around their hoomans and other housemates. It’s the purrfect solution for a short nap, airing out their underside and stretching out, but also for some complete relaxation – “after all the hooman sees that with my belly up, I trust them completely and they can protect me if necessary”.
Give your cat the best place to sleep
Depending on the goal of the nap, cats can be looking for various sleeping spots in the house. On a high shelf, top of the wardrobe, in their favourite cat bed, under the hooman bed, in the middle of the floor – there’s more options than there’s fur on our clothes! The most important thing is that your cat should feel comfortable in any place they choose and it’s on us, hoomans, to make sure of that. How? Choosing comfy cat beds is one thing, but the way we place them around the house is another, very important one. We can’t expect a cat to doze off and go into the cat dimension on a cat bed that stands in the middle of the room – there’s simply too much noise and action there to go into a deep sleep.
Designing cat furniture we thought about all of our cat friends’ needs. Besides the classic, soft cat beds like EMI and PADI, ideal for an afternoon nap on the couch or under the window, we also give your cats the OTI cat bed – purrfect for curling up like a donut and dozing off into the dream land filled with catnip dreams. For naps, we also recommend ours scratchers which cats have quickly accepted as spots for casual lounging during the day, basking in the sun. And when it’s time for some alone time, switching off from the world and the best conditions for sleeping are closed in the MIA cat house – your cat’s own M1.
Which of the poses do your cats choose the most often? Do we have here, dear fabCats, any Guardians of cat shrimps, donuts, seals and baguettes? Or maybe your cat’s sleeping position says clearly “it doesn’t matter how I sleep as long as I feel rested?”. We’re waiting for your descriptions in the comments. And if you have photos of sleeping cats you’d like to share, come hang out with us on social media!
