You don’t need to be Albert Einstein to work out that cats spend lots of time asleep.
One of the more common questions we get on this website is “why does my Bengal cat sleep so much?”
In fact, you’ve probably noticed that your Bengal spends more time sleeping than doing just about anything else.
So, what gives?
Is this normal behaviour, or is something wrong?
In this article we are going to look at why your Bengal cat spends so much of his or her time asleep, and if this is anything to worry about.
How Much Sleep Is Normal?
Let’s start first by identifying how much sleep is normal for your Bengal cat.
Chances are, just about however much your cat sleeps is normal.
Cats sleep far more than humans do, with most adult cats sleeping anywhere from 12-16 hours per day. Even up to 20 hours per day is normal for many cats.
Therefore, unless your Bengal is sleeping upwards of 20 hours a day every day, it is unlikely that there is anything abnormal about their sleeping habits.
Remember that kittens and older cats can also sleep more, so don’t be surprised if your young (or mature) Bengal cat is really “getting up there” in terms of numbers of hours slept each and every day.
Look To The Wild To Understand Why
To understand why your Bengal sleeps so much, it’s important to “look to the wild”.
Your Bengal has a strong evolutionary drive to conserve energy in order to:
- Ensure he/she is ready to go when it comes time for hunting (often during twilight hours … this is why your Bengal probably sleeps lots during the day and then comes alive at the evening and night).
- Reduce calorie/inbound energy requirements, in case he/she has to go some time without food (similar as to why bears hibernate for a long period of time, only on a shorter time scale).
- Be ready to leap to his/her defence or escape at a moment’s notice, in case of being threatened by a predator.
Sleeping helps to conserve energy and ensure that your Bengal cat is ready to go and spring into action at a moment’s notice.
While we could get more technical/scientific with the exact reasons why your Bengal likes (and needs) to sleep so much, the points above hopefully outline it in a simple fashion.
Why Does Your Bengal Cat Sleep All The Time?
Your Bengal sleeps so much because this is a behaviour that helps your cat to conserve energy. This means that your cat is “ready for action” when it comes to either hunting prey or self defence.
Adult cats sleep anywhere from 12-16 hours a day, with younger and older cats sleeping more. An average amount seems to be 15 hours per day.
As humans, we are accustomed to thinking that 8 hours of sleep is a lot (many of us with our busy modern lifestyles feel lucky to get 6!). What seems like a lot of sleep for your cat is probably totally normal.
Now if your adult Bengal cat is sleeping more than 20 hours a day for a consistent period of time, then you may wish to consult a vet as this probably isn’t normal behaviour.
However, chances are that your Bengal’s sleep habits and routine are perfectly normal and healthy … just try not to get too jealous at how much your cat is able to sleep!
We hope you found this article helpful. Please check out the rest of our site for more information on Bengal cat ownership. We also have a number of detailed Bengal cat product buyer’s guides, covering everything from litter boxes to food to the best toys for your Bengal.
If you have any questions or concerns, then you can leave a comment below or contact us here.
