Cats are one of the most relaxing pets on earth and they are also one of the most relaxed animals with their ability to sleep almost anywhere at anytime of the day or night.
Cats can spend over two thirds of their life sleeping but while they may seem to sleep for many hours at a time, they will rarely sleep deeply for more than about 10 minutes at a time.
They have the ability to sleep for a short period, commonly called a cat nap, and then awaken in an instant totally refreshed and alert.
For the short periods of time that a cat does go into a deep sleep, its basic senses are still highly alert to any danger that might be around them.
This allows it to wake in an instant if necessary and get out of a dangerous situation.
A domesticated cat that feels comfortable and secure in its surroundings will not be so ‘on edge’ all the time and will be able to sleep in a more relaxed manner.
In these situations the cat can often be a little sleepy when it awakes and even disorientated for short while.
This is a more common occurrence with older cats, and particularly those who have lived in the one house all their life.
Once they see familiar surroundings or people they are less likely to feel anxious, as this anxiety can sometimes cause them to bite or claw someone before realizing where they are.
When the cat is in a deep sleep its feet, tail and whiskers can twitch periodically as they are in a state of REM (rapid eye movement)
If the cat is lying in a hot sunny position it can go into a deep sleep and take a little longer for it to become alert after awakening.
On awakening it will generally yawn and stretch and often sit for awhile until it is ready to move about again.
Unless there is a very good reason, the cat will never feel rushed.
