Why Do Cat Cover Their Face When They Sleep? It Is not easy to understand the habits and behaviour of your pet. Cats mostly show strange behavior, and there might be various reasons why they show that particular behavior.
Being a cat owner, it is your responsibility to notice any change in behavior and find out its reason. If your cat is comfortable living with you, they might cover their face with their paw or tail to get your attention.
If you are a first-time cat owner, pay attention to their mood and habits and figure out their behaviors.
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How do Cats Sleep?
Like other family members, domestic cats love to spend their maximum time of the day sleeping. Cats are very friendly and curious pets, so they roam around the house and sometimes leave to explore the neighborhood.
When they get tired, they like to take a nap of about 15 minutes, and their sleeping time can easily go up to 20 hours a day.
Sometimes the weather conditions also attract longer sleeping time. Cats like to sleep, and they can only interrupt their sleep cycle when eating, roaming, or playing.
Cats are very curious animals, and they like to remain more active between dusk and dawn. Cats are predators by nature, but a domestic cat also has many threats at night like other predators.
They usually cover their face during sleep because they feel protected from other animals.
Why Do Cat Cover Their Face When They Sleep?
If your cat has a habit of covering its face, there might be several reasons behind it. If your cat has an inside place to live, they might cover their face due to light or feel warm. If your cat has a home in the yard or garage, they cover their face to feel safe from the attack of other animals.
If your cat is sleeping outside, they often cover their face to feel warm and comfy. Cats can survive outside but don’t make them stay outside the home in cold weather.
There is plenty of other possible explanation, too, on why your cat is covering his face. They could be protecting them from sunlight or noise around them. Cats also feel safe and secure when they cover their face.
In this article, all the facts on why cats cover their face when they sleep will be discussed.
1. To Feel Warm and Comfy
The most obvious reason your cat covers his face is that they want to feel warm and comfy while sleeping. When cats fall asleep, they lose more body heat than usual. Most heat loss occurs from their paws, ears, tail, and nose tip.
When your cat covers its face, they try to reduce the amount of heat lost when they sleep. Sometimes your cat covers its face or sleeps with the entire face down. Doing this keeps their body heat inside and makes them feel warm and comfortable and enjoy their nap.
Your cat is more likely to use paws to cover its face on colder days while they like to stretch out on hotter days. Set the thermostat according to the temperature your cat feels warm and doesn’t get hypothermia.
If you don’t provide them with a comfortable environment, it might affect their mental and physical health.
2. To Block out the Light
If it’s a hot sunny day and your cat is covering his face with paws, there might be a reason behind this. Your cat doesn’t need to be warm and feels comfy during sleep in the summers. Sometimes light can irritate them while sleeping, so they try to cover their face before taking a nap.
Cats often like to fall asleep when there is light outside, so they use their paws to cover their face before taking a nap. It’s entirely dependent on the nature of your cats; if you have two cats, you might notice that their behaviours are different.
Maybe your one cat likes to sleep with a covered face, and others prefer to sleep without covering his face.
The main purpose of cats is to take a good and comfortable nap to have enough energy to roam and play when they wake up. When your cat is disturbed by natural or artificial light, they usually cover their face with the help of their paws.
3. To Block the Noise
Why do cats cover their face when they sleep? Light is not the only thing your cat is trying to cover when they block their face with their paws. Any noise or sound can also make them angry. Cats like to sleep in peace, which means they don’t like when something or somebody disturbs their sleep.
Noise could also be a factor in why your cat is acting strange lately or showing aggressive behaviour.
If your cat is a deep sleeper, you don’t have to worry about music or other noises. But if their sleep can easily disturb by noise, then avoid making noise. The best solution to the noise problem is to provide your cat with a place where any light or noise won’t get disturbed.
Even the slightest noise can be the reason why your cat is awake. If your cat’s collar has bells, then there is a fair chance that every time your cat moves, they hear the sound of a bell which is irritating.
So, make sure to provide a calm and comfy place, so your cat doesn’t need to feel to cover its face with its paws.
4. To Feel Safe and Secure
Cats can also be sleeping with their face covered to feel a sense of security. Cats are predators, and they also hunt other animals like mice or small rodents, etc. Although domestic cats are trained not to hunt and eat their owner’s food, hunting is instinctive.
While sleeping, cats feel vulnerable and unsafe; that’s why they have to look out for any predator. Having their paws or tails on their face, they feel safe and secure.
For cats, their face is the important part of their body that they want to protect. So, if cats are attacked on the face during sleeping, they are likely to get injured.
If your cats live inside and still put their paws over their faces, there is no need to worry. It’s in their nature to do that to protect their face from any external attack.
5. They Feel Tired
Cats can be very high-maintenance pets, and they spend most of their time grooming themselves. They like to roam freely and discover what is around them, which makes them exhausted.
During their playing, they often sleep in the middle of the house, and when they sleep, they cover their face.
Cats, when tired, sleep in any position they like, which means if their paws land over their eyes, they are not going to make an extra effort to move it back.
Placing a paw on their face also indicates that your cat got herself hurt while playing on the face. They place a paw to stop the pain or feel comfortable. So don’t ignore their behavior of placing a paw on their face.
6. Marking Territory
If your cat is covering its face by burying it in any object, including its paw or tail, then there might be a chance that he is marking his territory. Pets are very sensitive when it comes to their place in the house.
If you buy a new pet, they show mood swings so that all attention can go to them instead of the new pet.
Scents glands are located on the cat’s face, releasing chemicals called pheromones. Cats often rub these pheromones on other objects to let the new pet avoid its territory.
All of this is normal until your cat gets aggressive; if you don’t know how to deal with this situation, the vet’s help.
Read Also: Why Are My Dog’s Ear Hot?
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why do cats sleep on their belly or back?
Cats love to take naps in weird positions. They often sleep on their belly or back to feel comfortable. The main reason behind this habit is to keep their body warm in cold weather and have a peaceful sleep.
When cats sleep on their belly, they often feel cold and need a warm and comfy space for their sleep.
2. Why does your Cat Prefer to Sleep in Your Bed?
It is common in cats to sleep on the owner’s bed and enjoy a good nap. Cats like to sleep with you in cold weather because they enjoy body heat. If your cat has a strong bond with you, then there might be a fair chance that they prefer to sleep with you rather than on their bed. Your bed and room’s environment gives them a peaceful and calm space to take their nap. Cats also love to sleep on owners’ beds because they want to protect you.
Wrapping Up:
Why do cats cover their face when they sleep? Cats love to spend their day playing or napping, and while napping, they often cover their face with their paws or tail. The main reason behind their behavior is they want to feel warm and comfortable. Cats like to sleep in silence and dark, so they try to bury their face while sleeping.
