Creature feature

— My cat, Gemma, seems to sleep all the time. There’s nothing wrong with her. She eats her food, plays sometimes and isn’t fat. I’ve never kept track of exactly how much she sleeps (I’m at work during the day), but I wonder how much sleep is normal for a cat. Can you tell me?

Healthy cats sleep an average of 17 hours a day, but much of that time isn’t spent in deep sleep but in napping — cat-napping, which is like being on stand-by, according to feline experts.

Cats sleep about two thirds of their entire lives, about twice as much as other mammals, according to The Cat Behavior Answer Book by Arden Moore. Their sleeping habits, however, are outmatched by bats and opossums, which sleep about 20 hours a day. Dogs, in contrast, need only 12-14 hours of sleep and nap time per day.

Sleep for cats comes in two stages, just as it does for people, according to an article in the October issue of Catnip. The stages are slow-wave sleep and rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. Slow wave sleep can be light or deep, while REM sleep is the deep sleep in which dreaming occurs.

“During REM sleep, a cat can show active eye movements although the eyes are shut,” the article says. “The large anti-gravity muscles are relaxed, though paw and tail twitching can be observed.”

While in the dreaming state, a cat is harder to wake up because the brain’s medulla paralyzes the cat’s muscles. When napping, on the other hand, “a cat acts much like an idling car engine. This feline engine can be put into the drive gear at a moment’s notice — especially if the cat senses prey nearby.” Or if the cat hears an electric can opener, no doubt.

After the cat has stalked his prey — or checked out that can opener — he can easily settle back into nap mode.

You’ve probably noticed that your cat often sleeps in a position from which he can spring into action quickly. That’s when he’s dozing or napping. When a cat is in deep sleep, he may be sprawled on his back or curled up.

For cats, like people, REM sleep is linked to a cat’s health and mood. Changes in sleeping patterns can signal a health problem. For example, the Catnip article notes that a cat that starts sleeping less and is more active than usual could be suffering from hyperthyroidism. Cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus will also sleep less than normal.

A cat that suddenly starts sleeping for longer periods may be suffering from any number of disorders or diseases, among them diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease. In these cases, prolonged sleep will be accompanied by symptoms such as increased thirst and urination.

Other things that influence how much a cat sleeps include age (an older cat needs more shut-eye) and the seasons. During the winter, cats may sleep more and be less active in general. As the weather warms and days lengthen, cats become more active.

In The Cat Behavior Answer Book, Moore says too much sleeping may also mean a cat is bored. The cure for that is more interactive play time, even if it’s only five or 10 minutes a day playing with you or another animal.

Do you have a question about pets? We’ll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Rhonda Owen, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail

[email protected]

Family, Pages 36 on 11/14/2012

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