why does my cat sleep so much?

Cats sleep. A lot.

It's a hard life.

But if they don't actually do much, why do they need so much sleep?

As a veterinarian, this comes up all the time — usually tucked into a weight conversation. “They don't do much. They're always asleep.”

The average cat sleeps between 12 and 16 hours a day. Some sleep for up to 20 hours. This is normal. Changes in the weather, activity level, age and individual character all account for some of this variation.

This isn't because cats are lazy, or bored, as some people think. It is a hangover from their wild ancestors. The African wildcat sleeps in a similar way.

But rather than doing it all in one stretch, like we do, cats sleep in short episodes throughout the day — each roughly 50 to 90 minutes — spread across both day and night.

So yes — they do sleep a lot.

It's in their genes.

Stuart Ralph BVSc
Veterinarian and founder of WellCat