Cat owners can tell you a thing or two about it: they often find their cat in a deep slumber in a seemingly impossible position and in the strangest places. So, the question is: why do cats sleep in such unusual places?
Sleep rhythm of the cat
Compared to humans, a cat sleeps much more, up to 16 hours a day! The cat's most active phase is at dusk. However, a cat can become active at any time of the day or night, depending on the daily routine of its owners. The rest of the day is spent resting. This is especially true for domesticated cats, because they do not need to hunt for their own food.
Natural reflexes of the cat
In the wild, a cat must always know what is happening around it in order to survive. This is especially true for smaller or weaker cats. Life in the wild means constant potential danger, to which the cat must react quickly.
The need for quick reaction is also evident in the domesticated cat, for example, when it perceives sudden noises or quick movements. Often, from the human's point of view, it seems to tend to overreact, but the readiness to jump up quickly is instinctive.
The cat has the reflexes of a predator, it is in its genes, even if it is used to a quiet flat life.
How does the cat choose its sleeping place?
When the cat looks for a place to sleep, various risk factors play an important role, just as if it were in the wild. An ideal sleeping place is therefore in a place where the cat feels it can defend itself well, it is protected or the sleeping place is simply in the immediate vicinity and does not require much searching.
Even a cat that has been accustomed to a safe flat life for generations is subject to its primal instincts and prefers sleeping places that allow it to escape or defend itself quickly, even if it lives a comfortable and quiet life.
So, unlike humans, the cat does not choose where to sleep primarily for comfort, and often places that the cat perceives as "safe" are in the strangest of places.
Places to hide
Sometimes the cat needs a hiding place, it likes not to be found. Such a hiding place has only one access point, so she only needs to supervise this small opening instead of a 360 degree angle.
The cat's favourite places are therefore cupboards, boxes or even shoes or vases. Here, her head will be towards the opening so that she can bite or scratch immediately in an emergency. This way she needs to pay less attention and sleeps better.
It seems to us humans that a cat can sleep anywhere, even if it is uncomfortable. Their ideal sleeping place is usually within their territory and in a strategic position. Comfort comes second.
Why do cats sleep in such unusual places? Cats are extremely flexible
Even if we stretch nicely and feel comfortable, we are unlikely to fall into a deep sleep if our muscles are stretched at strange angles. The strain becomes uncomfortable and you feel the urge to move to a more comfortable or "normal" position.
Cats may occasionally feel this way, but their bodies are much better adapted to sleeping at awkward angles. This is because cats are extremely flexible. They can contort their bodies in ways that humans cannot.
A position that would be painful for a human, such as putting a leg over the head, is hardly a slight stretch for a flexible cat. They feel no pain when they fall asleep with their flexible limbs pointing in all directions or with their necks contorted at an awkward angle. This makes it easy for cats to sleep in crazy positions.
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