![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Zen of Kitty Sleep
Jan. 17th, 2008 10:42 amA few entries ago, I posted a link to this blog on sleeping cats. Based on my own observations of Lani, as well as other cats that I've been around or grown up with, here are my descriptions of the various sleeping positions that a kitty can have, arranged from the lightest sleeping position to the deepest sleeping position. Your mileage may, of course, vary.
Kitty Loaf: In this position kitty rests on all fours with the front paws tucked underneath. The best way to describe this position is to imagine a furry loaf of bread with a cat head on one end and the tail sticking out the other. This affords the quickest way to respond if anything happens. The radar ears are always twitching and turning to catch every little sound, so generally you can't sneak up on a cat sleeping this way.
Stretched Out Kitty Loaf: One cat I grew up with, Tiger, used to assume this position all the time. It's similar to the Kitty Loaf sleep except that the front paws are fully extended instead of being curled up underneath. Sometimes the paws touch. Interestingly enough, though, I've never seen Lani sleep this way. I don't know if this is a position unique to male cats or if it's a matter of kitty preference, though I'm inclined to believe the latter.
Stretched Out Side Sleep: For this one, imagine the front end of your cat stretched out as in "Stretched Out Kitty Loaf". But the rear end is stretched out to one side or the other instead of directly under the cat. A variant often seen is the cat's head resting on its front paws, with the head pointed toward the same side that the hind legs are on. Cats are not unique in resting this way either... rabbits and sometimes dogs will also assume this position.
Full Side Sleep: In this position the cat is fully stretched out on one side, like you took a cat standing and tipped it on its side. Often any cat that's been roadkill and not completely mutilated will look like this. I know, the description is pretty graphic, but I think you get the idea. I don't think this position is as common as the one above, but I could be wrong.
Cat Ball: From either a stretched out side or full side position, the cat simply curls itself into a ball, with the head touching the hind legs. The tighter the ball, either the more deeply the cat is sleeping or the colder the environment... or both.
Cat Ball with Head Twist: I used to see Tiger sleep like this all the time, and every so often Lani will do this as well. This is the same as the cat ball position, except the head is twisted upward so the muzzle points toward the ceiling. It looks very uncomfortable, but apparently cats don't mind. And this is probably the deepest form of cat sleep that you can imagine. If you approach a cat sleeping like this, you can probably get very close to the animal before it wakes up if you are very quiet.
Because cats are such light sleepers (that's where the term "cat nap", meaning a short, quick nap comes from), kitty can awake at the sound of any activity. But if the cat has progressed down to a cat ball with head twist, it generally won't react unless the threat is immediate. Typically kitty will open one eye, and perhaps offer a "meow?", then stretch. Lani, who doesn't like to use more energy than needed, often says "rrr?" (a meow, but with a closed mouth) instead.
Like I said, your mileage may vary, but this is what I've seen...
Kitty Loaf: In this position kitty rests on all fours with the front paws tucked underneath. The best way to describe this position is to imagine a furry loaf of bread with a cat head on one end and the tail sticking out the other. This affords the quickest way to respond if anything happens. The radar ears are always twitching and turning to catch every little sound, so generally you can't sneak up on a cat sleeping this way.
Stretched Out Kitty Loaf: One cat I grew up with, Tiger, used to assume this position all the time. It's similar to the Kitty Loaf sleep except that the front paws are fully extended instead of being curled up underneath. Sometimes the paws touch. Interestingly enough, though, I've never seen Lani sleep this way. I don't know if this is a position unique to male cats or if it's a matter of kitty preference, though I'm inclined to believe the latter.
Stretched Out Side Sleep: For this one, imagine the front end of your cat stretched out as in "Stretched Out Kitty Loaf". But the rear end is stretched out to one side or the other instead of directly under the cat. A variant often seen is the cat's head resting on its front paws, with the head pointed toward the same side that the hind legs are on. Cats are not unique in resting this way either... rabbits and sometimes dogs will also assume this position.
Full Side Sleep: In this position the cat is fully stretched out on one side, like you took a cat standing and tipped it on its side. Often any cat that's been roadkill and not completely mutilated will look like this. I know, the description is pretty graphic, but I think you get the idea. I don't think this position is as common as the one above, but I could be wrong.
Cat Ball: From either a stretched out side or full side position, the cat simply curls itself into a ball, with the head touching the hind legs. The tighter the ball, either the more deeply the cat is sleeping or the colder the environment... or both.
Cat Ball with Head Twist: I used to see Tiger sleep like this all the time, and every so often Lani will do this as well. This is the same as the cat ball position, except the head is twisted upward so the muzzle points toward the ceiling. It looks very uncomfortable, but apparently cats don't mind. And this is probably the deepest form of cat sleep that you can imagine. If you approach a cat sleeping like this, you can probably get very close to the animal before it wakes up if you are very quiet.
Because cats are such light sleepers (that's where the term "cat nap", meaning a short, quick nap comes from), kitty can awake at the sound of any activity. But if the cat has progressed down to a cat ball with head twist, it generally won't react unless the threat is immediate. Typically kitty will open one eye, and perhaps offer a "meow?", then stretch. Lani, who doesn't like to use more energy than needed, often says "rrr?" (a meow, but with a closed mouth) instead.
Like I said, your mileage may vary, but this is what I've seen...
