Why Do Cats Cover Their Faces When They Sleep?
Covering one’s face is just one of those minor feline quirks in which practically all cats partake. When she covers her face, her two front paws are sunglasses, shading her eyes from the sun’s overpowering beams. Cats are excellent pets in a variety of ways. Your kitty pal enjoys sleeping in a variety of postures. Why do cats sleep with their faces covered? Most of the time, your tiny fuzzy pet will sleep with its paws or tail covering its face.
All cats sleep a lot, regardless of whether you’ve recently adopted a new kitten or are the delighted owner of an elderly, world-weary cat. On average, they work fifteen hours a day and, in certain situations, twenty hours. Because they are crepuscular animals, cats love to prowl around in the twilight between dark and dawn.Your cat is essentially half sleeping, or catnapping, when they lie with their head up, eyes half closed, and ears twitching occasionally.Is it a bad sign? Or is your feline just being a cat?
Don’t worry—this article explains the leading causes of cats covering their faces when they sleep. Prepare to learn about this adorable position and its possible meaning for your kitty companion.
Reasons Why Cats Cover Eyes When Sleeping?
Cats sleep up to fifteen hours a day, even longer in certain situations. Being a crepuscular animal, cats prefer to move around throughout the day. A cat typically curls into a ball when it covers its face with its paws or tail. The cat can maintain maximum heat thanks to its spherical form, making it peaceful and comfortable sleep.
Cats have various sleeping postures, which explain why they are master naps. So, let’s look at all the explanations for why cats cover their faces or eyes when they sleep and what’s going through their minds at that time. There might be many different kinds of causes why your cat may like sleeping in this manner.
1.They are Staying Warm.
The most frequent explanation for their delicate paw over their face is this. It shields them from draughts and chilly air by keeping their nose warm and retaining body heat around their faces.
For the coziest cat to sleep, they usually snuggle up into a ball to trap as much body heat as possible. If they would instead tuck their paws in, they may even use their tail to hide their face as they sleep in this posture.
What better way to assist your cat in maintaining their ideal temperature than by getting a pet-safe heating pad if your home is naturally fantastic or winter strikes your region hard? If not, a cozy blanket could be just what they need. NB: Monitoring your cat’s heating pad’s temperature is crucial to prevent burns and overheating.
2. Feeling of safety
As both predators and prey, cats have an innate tendency to look for secure havens. This implies that to feel more confident before taking sleep. They could look for a high spot to sit in or even put their head inside a laundry basket. In any case, hiding their attractive features makes people feel safer since they know this is also where they are most vulnerable.
3. Keeping the light out
Although cats like the heat, sleeping in the warm sun might be challenging without getting harsh light in your eyes. Fortunately, your cat has discovered they can shield the morning with their paws or tail. Like some people, many cats prefer blackout curtains while attempting to sleep during the day.
4.Comfortable feeling
Apart from feeling fantastic, is there a more significant reason to sleep in a particular position? Each cat is unique regarding their preferred sleeping position, whether a curled-up ball or an extended loaf.
Some cats find it more comfortable to sleep with their paws on their faces; the more comfortable they are, the better their sleep will be. This may be why you often see your cat sleeping with their paws or tail in this position.
Even though cats have a preferred resting position, it’s important to remember that having a variety of sleeping postures is more common. A trip to the veterinarian may be necessary if you discover that your cat sleeps in the same spot every time. This behavior may be the result of a medical condition.
5.Blocking Out Noise
Yes, your kitten can be attempting to block out a disturbance hindering their undisturbed sleep. Like light, noise is an environmental problem that may inhibit a pleasant doze. That is, depending on the kind of noise.
Loud, abrasive noises from the television or the clanking of glass plates and silverware being placed in the dishwasher are unsettling. Sudden or loud sounds may be incredibly troubling for cats since they can activate their stress response and make it difficult to relax and sleep.
But white noise and calming noises may frequently help in tranquil sleep cycles for people, and the same could be valid for cats.
Of course, the music needs to be very specialized to appeal to their feline eardrums and minds, so this playlist is a fantastic place to start if you want to assist your furball in drifting asleep. This could be particularly effective if you urge your kitten to sleep at night rather than during the day.
6.Over-Tired
Cats are very active pets. Super energetic in certain circumstances. While cats may spend two-thirds of their lives resting, the remaining third is finished grooming, hunting, playing, and stalking, to name a few.
While it doesn’t seem like much, it might be taxing to your feline buddy. Sometimes, they may fall asleep mid-grooming, so their paws aren’t necessarily draped over their face purposely.
True to cat form, it could have seemed like too much pain to shift their paws downwards as they began to doze off, so they were glad to keep them on their face.
7.Tiredness
Cats are keen to keep their coats clean as this helps keep their hair warm and healthy. It might be challenging work to spend all that time grooming, particularly when the need to slumber overtakes their task in progress. Sometimes, the job doesn’t get done, and the cat begins to fall asleep while wiping their face with a paw; thus, that’s the posture in which they sleep. While grooming is a crucial part of a cat’s life, it’s essential to watch your cat scratching their face with their paws to ensure they aren’t irritating it due to allergies.
8.Might Be Marking Territory
Although it’s not a habit when they’re drowsy, it’s feasible. Cats have smell glands on their cheeks that emit pheromones. If your cat has a favored location on the sofa, it could hide its face behind a cushion or under the blanket to claim it while they sleep.
This serves the dual goal of shutting out distractions like noise and light that may otherwise impair sleep. If you have more than one cat in your home, it’s very conceivable that they’re telling your other cats that this is their resting spot by rubbing their head against it.
9.Saying “Do Not Disturb!
We all need our privacy, and occasionally, your cat may not want to have its snooze disturbed by an ill-timed pet. They appear cute. Therefore, the impulse to pat your snuggled kitten may quickly overtake owners.
Your cat may only sometimes be as impressed with your devotion, however. They may be immensely enjoying their drowsy isolation. If you yield and pat them nevertheless and watch their paws pulling farther up their face rather than downwards, it’s a cue to let them be—for now.
10.Entertainment
Cats are natural hunters, and their whiskers are essential to their survival. Whiskers, also known as vibrissae, are unique tactile hairs that are placed on a cat’s face, above its eyes, on its chin, and the back of its forelegs. Cats utilize their whiskers to explore their environment, find prey, and evaluate distances in the wild.
When a cat goes in pursuit of prey, its whiskers will spread out, helping them judge the size and location of their target. Additionally, their whiskers can detect small vibrations in the air or ground, alerting them to any possible danger or prey nearby.
When a cat covers their whiskers while sleeping, it may be because they feel safe and calm. Covering their whiskers may provide a sensation of gloom and seclusion, which is comfortable for cats. Additionally, it may help filter out any extra sensory information, enabling them to rest more thoroughly.
11. Not Feeling Like Moving
Most of a cat’s day is spent licking and grooming their gorgeous fur. Some cats doze off during grooming sessions since it requires much energy.
Therefore, cats may conceal their faces when they sleep if they are too exhausted to shift into a more comfortable position. And the cat may immediately resume grooming as soon as they wake up!
What are Some Unusual Areas Where Cats Prefer to Sleep?
1.On the Bed’s Head
We aren’t the only ones who value a good night’s sleep. Cats like them because they are soft, warm, and elevated above the ground, making them feel safe – even more so since they can detect their owner’s scent.
2.In the Drain
Cats have surprising personalities, which may be because they take on the form of the container in which they find themselves. When you go into the bathroom, your cat will be sound asleep in the wash basin.
3.Inside The Wardrobe, On Clean Clothes
Cats love to sleep inside closets in fragrant, clean clothes, ideally knits. It’s a handy location and a calm retreat where they may sleep well. The negative is that we risk going out in cat fur-covered jumpers!
4.Enclosed Spaces
Cats like sleeping in cardboard boxes, baskets, and flower pots because they feel comfortable in small spaces. A cat’s instinct is to seek refuge in small areas, such as boxes, where predators cannot approach from the side or rear. If your cat enjoys sleeping in these spots, get him a cave bed.
5.Shoppers and Shopping Bags
Cats, tiny, quick kittens, can get themselves into virtually anything. They enjoy paper and plastic bags, not only for the delightful noise they make when they enter but also because they believe they are invisible to others.
6.On the Laptop
Cats aren’t computer geniuses, but they do like the warmth of a recently turned-off computer. If you find your cat following you as you work on the computer, it might be searching for a comfortable spot to sleep.
Why Do Cats Sleep in Unusual Locations?
- Cats sleep in small spaces because they are less likely to be disturbed. So, by burrowing between perfectly folded sweaters or inside a paper bag, the kitty ensures he sleeps in the safest possible spot.
- Cats also like sleeping in slightly too-small shoeboxes because the confined atmosphere keeps them warm. Cats love the heat, as any owner who has seen his cat dozing in the sun or burrowing under blankets knows, and cardboard boxes provide an extra layer of insulation during an afternoon nap.
- Similarly, if your cat needs to cool down, you may find him dozing in the bathtub or sink.
- Cats are inherently curious, which may lead to your kitten exploring new nooks and crannies, such as unsecured dresser drawers. When a litter is born, pregnant females may look for a location to nest and wind up in strange places, like behind the couch.
FAQs ( Frequently Ask Questions)
Why does a cat cover its face while sleeping?
This means that before napping, they may seek a high vantage point or bury their head in a laundry basket to provide security. They know that their beautiful faces are also their most vulnerable point, so covering them makes sense.
Why does my cat hide her face when she sleeps?
Cats prefer warm areas to sleep, but they dislike the sensation of sun rays caressing their faces every time they twist and spin for a good snooze. As a result, they tend to cover their faces to shield their eyes from the sun’s rays.
Why do cats desire to sleep on their owners’ beds?
Because of the cat’s strong attachment to its owner, the bed emanates a savory and cozy scent, and your little furball feels safer snuggling near you, creating a more protected atmosphere.
Why do cats sleep with their eyes closed?
While cats like to sleep in a cozy area, their sensitive eyes catch that solitary shaft of sunlight when they zone out on the rug. She shields her eyes from the sun’s glaring rays with her two front paws, which serve as sunglasses.
Why do cats sleep with their heads held up?
When a cat sleeps with its head up, its muscles are relaxed and tensed to support its body. Cats may pull some force while dozing by twitching their tails and wiggling their ears, just as they do when relaxed.
Wrap Up
Why cats hide their faces when sleeping is a question we have addressed thoroughly and thoroughly. We know that cats will fall asleep in the most unexpected locations and unique configurations; nonetheless, the stance with their paws over their faces is the prettiest of them all.
To us, it is charming, but to them, it provides comfort, protection, warmth, and a perfect method to filter out the light and noise that prevents them from falling asleep. They’ll groom, become weary of it, and fall asleep during a facial wash. Maybe your cat is urging you to leave her alone for a few hours so she can relax.
With so many possible explanations, it’s not easy to tell which one is correct at any given time; nonetheless, even if you don’t know why your cat is resting, their sleeping stances make us love and adore them even more.
