Where do cats like to sleep at night? This might be a question you are pondering if you’re thinking about adopting your first cat. You might also be wondering if you should leave the lights on for them or how to get them to go to sleep in the first place. Well in this article, we will dive in and answer these interesting questions.
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Where Should a Cat Sleep on the First Night?
A cat’s first night in it’s new home can be a pretty stressful ordeal for both of you, so it’s important that you find a safe and secure place for your new cat to sleep in. Ideally, you should pick a room that’s different than where your other animals or small children sleep.
During the evening when you’re at home, it may be helpful to just let your new cat sleep in the same room with you. Make sure to put some comfortable bedding in your room for them. A cozy blanket, cat bed, or cat cave will work great. You could even use a clean cardboard box. Just make sure that the box is clear of any staples or adhesives that could hurt your new cat.
Another thing you could do is let your new cat sleep with you on your bed. This approach may not work if you have a smaller bed, because cats are notorious for being bed hogs. Also, if your new cat is actually a small kitten, you could accidentally roll over on them in the middle of the night and hurt them. So just use your best judgement to decide whether or not you want your new cat to sleep in your bed with you.
If having the cat in your room is not an option, another way to ease the stresses of their first night is to prepare a safe room for them. This will be a room that only they sleep in, at least for the first week or two until they become accustomed to their new living arrangements.
To prepare the room for your new cat, make sure to remove anything that might harm them. This could be things like electrical cords that are plugged in, chemicals, mothballs, packing peanuts, or pretty much anything you’re not sure about. If in doubt, keep it out.
You will also want to make sure that you put enough food and water in the room to last through the night. And don’t forget a clean litter box and some toys for them to play with as well.
Do Cats Like to Sleep in the Dark?
The answer to this is it doesn’t really matter all that much whether it is light or dark in the room. Cats will sleep just fine in either light setting. And cats also have excellent night vision compared to us humans. However, in a pitch dark room, they may not be able to see at full capacity.
The best option is to have the room mostly dark, but have a dim night light plugged into the wall. That way, it is not completely pitch black. And it will also make it easier for us humans to rush into the room to see what crashed to the floor in the middle of the night. Trust me, this will happen at least a few times when you first get a new cat.
Why Do Cats Go Crazy at Night?
Cats are crepuscular creatures, meaning that they are the most active between dusk and dawn. If you’ve ever slept in the same house as a cat, then you probably already know that they seem to be pretty energetic when we’re trying to catch some zzz’s.
This phenomena is also known as the “3am crazies”, where your cat zooms at the speed of light from one end of your home to the other. And if you have stairs in your home that are accessible to your cats at night, then I really feel sorry for you. They will zoom up and down the stairs without a care in the world.
How Do I Make My Cat Sleep at Night?
If the reason your cat seems to be up at night is because they have too much energy, try playing with your cats an hour before you hit the hay. Do something that is high energy such as having them chase a laser light or chase around a battery operated toy mouse. Try anything that gets them moving their body. This method might help burn up some of that pent up energy they have.
If this doesn’t seem to help, there are cat calming aids that you can purchase. These are not only effective in getting your cat to calm down, but they are safe to use as well. I recommend getting them from Chewy, which has brands that are veterinarian approved.
For more help getting your cat to sleep at night, be sure to check out this article that I have written that goes even deeper into the subject.
Where Do Cats in the Wild Sleep?
Feral cats tend to act like any other house cat, with the exception that it’s outside. They will find any spot that is warm, protected, and out of the way of other animals. This location could be anything from unused fox dens to your neighbor’s open front porch. Feral cats will also find shelter in any nearby fields and woods. Basically, any type of shelter they can find to feel safe in, they will occupy.
Now if we are talking about big cats such as lions, tigers, panthers, cheetahs, etc, well it’s not going to be on your neighbor’s porch – thank goodness.
Lions usually sleep out in the open, because they themselves are apex predators. And even though tigers are ferocious predators as well, they much more prefer a closed den to protect their offspring from other predators.
Leopards and cougars, on the other hand, prefer to sleep in trees or on a rocky cliffside that protects them from other animals.
Final Thoughts
For the most part, your house cat will sleep anywhere that is comfortable for them. Sometimes this can be in the weirdest spot. The best advice I can give is to experiment a little with different items such as a cat bed or a cardboard box. You could even get a special cat house for them. The main idea is to give them multiple options on where they can lay their head at night.
