If you think your cat is sleeping a lot, you’re not off base. Cats tend to sleep in some form or another for 16 to 20 hours a day. A lot depends on your cat’s age and health. But, how can you tell if your cat is sleeping too much?

Cats take a lot of catnaps during the course of the day. The key thing to remember is that when they are taking their little catnaps, they are resting but not really asleep with their minds on standby mode. That means that it may appear that your cat is asleep, but if something triggers your cat – prey, food or danger of any sort – your cat could be awake and ready to move within seconds.

When your cat curls up with you on your bed at night, he is sleeping deeper than the catnap mode. Your cat most likely will switch back and forth from a lighter sleep (deeper than a catnap) to a deep sleep. How much your cat sleeps through the night depends on his age and health. Kittens tend to be the biggest party animals through the late night hours.

Cats may sleep deeply anytime of day. Just like with people, their deepest sleep is rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep when brain waves are more irregular and dreaming occurs. During REM, you may see your cat’s whiskers and tail twitch and there may be other slight movements.

We are not the only ones affected by the weather. Cats may sleep more during those dark, stormy days or when it’s cold. Changes in daylight also will affect their sleep patterns just like with people.

Have you noticed that your cat seems to swing into high gear right before bedtime or before you are due to get out of bed. There’s a good reason for this. While many people think cats are nocturnal, they are really crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dusk and dawn.