Maybe you’re a novice cat owner who just encountered this behaviour. Or you could be learning how to become a registered cat breeder, and need to figure out how to get your cat to sleep on their own. Gaining insight into why your cat sleeps on you can tell you a lot about your cat’s state of mind and their affection for you.
How Cats Sleep
There are few things cats enjoy more than sleeping. It’s not unusual for cats to get between 15 and 20 hours of sleep per day. That means your cat spends more time asleep than awake. This is because cats are crepuscular, which is a fancy way of saying that cats are primarily active at dawn and at dusk. There’s a good reason for this: animals that are crepuscular are avoiding predators in the low light conditions of dawn and dusk.
However, those 15 to 20 hours of sleep aren’t all in one huge chunk of time. There’s a reason why we call a short nap a ‘cat nap’ – these 15 to 20 minute naps are the majority of a cat’s sleeping time, allowing them to quickly recharge and refocus. These cat naps are usually a very light sleep, and the cat can be ready to pounce on their prey at any moment.
So deep, really restful sleep is something of a limited resource for cats. Bearing that in mind, we can now begin to explain why your cat sleeps on you.
Why Does Your Cat Sleep On You?
They feel safe with you
While it’s true that cats are some of the most successful predators in the world, they can still be threatened by other animals. Animals are at their most vulnerable when they’re asleep, so most cats will only fully rest when they’re absolutely sure that they’re in a safe place. When your cat sleeps on you, it shows that they feel content and secure when they’re around you.Cats grow up in litters, piling on and around each other next to their mother. This behaviour lasts through the vital socialisation period when the cats are 8 to 12 weeks old, so the behaviour often carries on into adulthood. Since your cat likely doesn’t have their mother to sleep on, you as their owner are the next best thing.
They’re marking you and your bed as their territory
Like most other predatory animals, cats have a set territory that they view as their own. They mark out this area with their scent. Contrary to common knowledge, cat marking doesn’t just mean urinating on everything. Cats also use the scent glands found on their cheeks, paws, and flanks. When cats rub against something – or you – they put their scent on it as a signal to other cats that they’ve laid claim to it.They like warmth
Cats run a little hot compared to humans. While humans have a typical body temperature of 36.1C to 37.2C, cats are warmer at 37.2C to 39.2C. You’ll notice that cats love to nap in the sunlight during mornings and afternoons, or they’ll nap in blankets or next to radiators. Staying warm is one of the key considerations a cat makes when they find a place to sleep, even if the spot isn’t quite as soft or comfortable as others.However, when your cat sleeps on you, they get the best of both worlds. They get to sleep next to a source of warmth, and your body is probably more comfortable to lie down on compared to the floor.