"What greater gift than the love of a cat?"—Charles Dickens
America is one cat-loving nation. According to a 2015-2016 survey, 85.8 million cats are owned by U.S. households (compared to just 77.8 million dogs).
And if you own a cat (or two), you’ll realize that they sleep a whole lot more than we do. While the recommended hours of sleep for humans ranges between 7 to 9 hours, cats sleep an average of 16 hours and up to a whooping 20 hours a day.
They also experience sleep differently from us. Humans have an REM sleep cycle of 90 minutes; for cats it only lasts 5 minutes. And while they do sleep two to three times as much as we do, they stay alert while asleep and can wake up and be fully operational at the slightest noise.
Like humans, cats do actually dream during REM sleep. If you notice your cat’s whiskers or toes twitching while asleep, he or she is probably dreaming.
If you aren’t already sleeping with your cat(s), you might actually consider doing so; a recent study found that sleeping with pets actually help some people sleep better as it gives them a sense of security.
Cats are very social and highly adaptable creatures. While they are crepuscular (meaning they are most active during twilight hours of dawn and dusk), they are likely to adjust their sleeping habits so that they can spend more time with their loved ones, which hopefully include us.
Here are the top 20 ways you can celebrate National Cat Day with your cat (or cats): http://www.nationalcatday.com/celebrate
National Cat Day (Oct. 29th) is the official global holiday to celebrate cats for all the wonderful love they give us and to encourage adoption.
No comments:
Post a Comment