Shouldn't cats sleep a lot?

[Antonio65]

Shouldn't cats sleep a lot?
I have always known that cats are among the animals that sleep the most. According most sources, a cat sleeps 16 hours a day on average, sometimes even longer, that means that on average, only 8 hours a day are spent in activities, like playing, chasing toys, eating, watching out the windows, grooming, etc.

Well, I'd like to understand why my cat Freya (female, spayed... maybe... not even 3 yo) usually sleeps not longer than 6 to 8 hours a day. She spends the rest of her time eating, playing, walking on me, watching the world go by and, unfortunately, howling and meowing in the house.
Compared to my other cat, Giada, it seems to me she never sleeps at all.

Is this normal?
What bothers me the most is the nearly constant howling from room to room, jumping at door knobs, window panes, or at invisible creatures on the walls. She begins at 1 pm every single day that I'm home and goes on for nearly the whole afternoon.
Have to add that she's on phenobarbital for what the neurologist thinks is a focal epilepsy, though the cat never had any seizure or other classic episodes or occurrences of this disease.

I discussed the matter with the vets, but they don't have any answers.
Any advice, experiences, or comments are welcome.

Thanks!

 

[cmshap]

First question: do you know if she is sleeping while YOU are sleeping?

You haven't really described any unusual cat behavior, especially for a younger cat. They can be full of energy in those first few years.

Just wondering how accurate your data collection is. If she sleeps while you sleep, even if just for half the time you are asleep, that would be within normal range, I think.

My cat was very active and crazy for the first few years. And I couldn't handle him sleeping in my bedroom, because he'd sleep for a while, then wake up and walk on me, etc.

In his early years, I would estimate he slept about 10 hours a day. The figure that I've always read is cats sleep, on average 12-16 hours. And that is average, so some will be fewer, some will be greater. And age makes it vary.

You appear to be a top contributor on this forum, so I'm sure you know engaging in exhaustive play sessions will help. I understand, however, that it's not always easy to do so at the exact times that your cat is acting up. My cat always seemed to go craziest at the worst times, when I couldn't interact with him.

 

[susanm9006]

One of my former cats was hyperactive and spent far more time bouncing off the walls than she did sleeping. She didn’t start sleeping as much as other cats until she reached her early teens.

 

[Cat McCannon]

Every cat is a law unto itself

 

[Caspers Human]

Remember that, be it human, cat or whatever, the concept that one should sleep "a certain number" of hours per day is a virtual myth. Yes, there are averages but there are also a lot of variation. Some might sleep more and some might sleep less. Rarely does any person sleep exactly eight hours per day.

Consider the average human body temperature. Nobody has a body temperature of exactly 98.6º F all of the time. A person's body temperature can range from 97º to 99º and even farther off the mark but the person might never notice. If a person's temperature goes above 100º that would be cause for concern but you've also got to consider circumstances.

If a person has been digging a ditch, all day long, in the hot sun one would expect their body temperature to be higher. If the same person has been outside in the freezing cold, they should expect their temperature to be lower.

All the same goes for cats and the number of hours they sleep per day. Sixteen hours is just an average. Some cats will sleep more. Some cats will sleep less. Further, the same cat might sleep longer on one day and less on another.

To compound the problem even more, cats don't usually sleep for sixteen hours in one stretch. They often sleep for a few hours then wake up to prowl around, play, hunt, eat, use the box or spend quality time with their humans. Cats can also do hemispherical sleep. They will rest, close their eyes and let one part of their brain recover while the rest remains active. When a cat dozes off with only one eye closed and the other eye open, it's often a sign of hemispherical sleep. Most cats do this at least some times.

So, if cats sleep intermittently throughout the day, how can we really know how long they sleep? Unless you follow them around with a stopwatch, it would be impossible to be sure.

As long as a cat is in good health, is active when it needs to be active and sleeps when it needs to sleep, the exact number of hours per day that it sleeps is, pretty much, immaterial.

Twelve to sixteen hours of sleep per day is a good average but, as always, YMMV.

 

[Antonio65]

First question: do you know if she is sleeping while YOU are sleeping?

Let's take this past night for instance.
I am one of those people that sleeps little hours, usually 6 hours per night. My usual bedtime is midnight, and I'm up around 6 or 6:30 am.
Last night I went to bed at midnight, Freya was still active, playing, chasing her friend. This early morning at 5:30 she was already meowing and howling, and in meantime, during the night, she had all the time to "re-furbish" the dining room
She'll be up, playing, chasing ghosts, checking out the window, maybe dozing a little, then having lunch, and over again, till tonight, after dinner, when she'll eventually curl on my lap to sleep a couple of hours.

Yesterday, she was up at 6 am, and stayed up all day, till 9 pm, when she curled to sleep at last!

In the same time, the other cat slept nearly all day. And she sleeps at nigh too.

You haven't really described any unusual cat behavior, especially for a younger cat. They can be full of energy in those first few years.

I know that younger cats are more active. I had many cats, both mine and fosters, at home, but I remember that they all would sleep long hours even in their young age.

You appear to be a top contributor on this forum, so I'm sure you know engaging in exhaustive play sessions will help. I understand, however, that it's not always easy to do so at the exact times that your cat is acting up. My cat always seemed to go craziest at the worst times, when I couldn't interact with him.

To me, it doesn't even look like a request for playing, because if I try to entartain her, she isn't interested much, or get bored soon and just paces in the house and howls at windows and walls, or knocks things off counters and shelves.

 

[Antonio65]

One of my former cats was hyperactive and spent far more time bouncing off the walls than she did sleeping. She didn’t start sleeping as much as other cats until she reached her early teens.

 

[Antonio65]

Cats can also do hemispherical sleep. They will rest, close their eyes and let one part of their brain recover while the rest remains active. When a cat dozes off with only one eye closed and the other eye open, it's often a sign of hemispherical sleep. Most cats do this at least some times.

That is interesting!
I knew of birds that can do this while they're flying long distances.

 

[Alldara]

Antonio, if you find something out let me know. This is Magnus to a T. Generally, I think it could be boredom for him. He's active and enrichment items don't hold his attention for long.

He redecorates at night. He moves his paper, his tents and lots of things. Also watching a mouse outside.

I would say now at 3 years he sleeps, on average, for a few more hours in a day than he did at 1 year. But it's not what I would consider normal.

He's been extensively vetted. They just think he's energetic and intelligent. They don't worry that the screaming is seizures. The consensus seems to be that he may have some sort of more energetic cat mixed with his genetics. He and his brother were found dumped, no mum and too friendly to be lost ferals. It's likely they were considered "fails" by a backyard breeder (common here) and dropped at a local colony.



Now none of that is helpful other than to reassure that it may be normal. Button training has helped to reduce the screaming, as have a good schedule and walks outside on a harness.

 

[Hellenww]

If a human was awake our Yoshi was awake and mostly on the move for the first 8yrs of his life. My partner was up for work at 4am, I was up before she left, and went to bed at 11pm. At 8yr he started napping during the day but it didn't take much of a sound to get him up and ready to play. He didn't sleep soundly during the day until 15yrs.

I had tossing toys in every room and anything I was doing became cat games. He was lots of fun but some days were exhausting.

Edit:

What bothers me the most is the nearly constant howling from room to room, jumping at door knobs, window panes, or at invisible creatures on the walls. She begins at 1 pm every single day that I'm home and goes on for nearly the whole afternoon.

It's possible she is seeing or hearing something your not. Those are the hours the squirrels are playing in my yard.

 

[Caspers Human]

I knew of birds that can do this while they're flying long distances.

Dolphins and whales do it, too.

 

[Antonio65]

He and his brother were found dumped, no mum and too friendly to be lost ferals. It's likely they were considered "fails" by a backyard breeder (common here) and dropped at a local colony.

I rescued Freya, my cat, when she was 6 weeks old. She was with mom and siblings in a filthy and unsafe place, and she was the first of the group that I rescued. Siblings and mom were rescued a few days later.
Mom is very feral and shy, Freya and her siblings are extremely sweet. She became very attached to me and never lets me go anywhere in the house without following me.
But then there are moments in the day when she meows out loud, and she sleeps very little!

Now none of that is helpful other than to reassure that it may be normal. Button training has helped to reduce the screaming, as have a good schedule and walks outside on a harness.

Last night I found one of her toy mice, one of her favorite toys. It was under the sofa. When I found it, she was so happy that she played with it for an hour, and eventually (Thank God!) she fell asleep. But the sound of a tin foil that I was wrapping was enough to wake her up and she started over
Wrapped tin foil is her favorite thing.

 

[Antonio65]

It's possible she is seeing or hearing something your not. Those are the hours the squirrels are playing in my yard.

I believe it is more likely she is still associating the time of the day (1 pm) with the fact that once I led her outside on the harness, and she is still remembering that time.
Following that occasion, I used to lead both cats out around 3:30 pm, when the sun reaches the backyard, but for some reasons she is still remembering that only occasion.
It is possible that she stays awake all day waiting for that magic moment of the day.

 

[Alldara]

But then there are moments in the day when she meows out loud, and she sleeps very little!

Last night I found one of her toy mice, one of her favorite toys. It was under the sofa. When I found it, she was so happy that she played with it for an hour, and eventually (Thank God!) she fell asleep. But the sound of a tin foil that I was wrapping was enough to wake her up and she started over
Wrapped tin foil is her favorite thing.

We don't often have quiet in our home. Magnus yells a lot. It's usually about going out. I think he remembers being out there.

Sometimes some music on for him helps. Feliway definitely helps. Nothing truly sorts the issue out though.

 

[Antonio65]

We don't often have quiet in our home. Magnus yells a lot. It's usually about going out. I think he remembers being out there.

Sometimes some music on for him helps. Feliway definitely helps. Nothing truly sorts the issue out though.

I leave some music for cats on when nobody's home.
I have downloaded several hours of music for cats and saved on a microSD card that is inserted into a portable speaker. I turn it on when I leave and it keeps them company for hours. Just checked my cat cam, nobody is moving at home, maybe they're both sleeping?

 

[Alldara]

I leave some music for cats on when nobody's home.
I have downloaded several hours of music for cats and saved on a microSD card that is inserted into a portable speaker. I turn it on when I leave and it keeps them company for hours. Just checked my cat cam, nobody is moving at home, maybe they're both sleeping?

No way to know for certain if sleeping, but sounds like she's resting!

 

[Cat McCannon]

Not sleeping a lot is a good sign as long as your cat is content. It means they find their surroundings stimulating and engaging. Often cats sleep to deal with boredom.

 

[Antonio65]

Not sleeping a lot is a good sign as long as your cat is content. It means they find their surroundings stimulating and engaging. Often cats sleep to deal with boredom.

This makes sense