How much does your senior cat sleep?

[viccat]

I will discuss with vet at our next check up if needed but just wondering, is my senior cat unusual to sleep as much as she does?

She's about 16-17 yrs old. She sleeps through the night, gets up for breakfast, goes back to sleep, gets up for lunch, goes back to sleep and then usually doesn't get up again until late for dinner. She doesn't really do much, just the short walk from the sofa to the water bowl and food and to the litter box, sometimes to the downstairs bathroom to sleep on the bath mat. I'm sure she sleeps about 20-22 hours a day!

She also sleeps really deeply sometimes, not just cat naps. I have left the house and come back 30 minutes later and she doesn't even stir unless I go to touch her.

She eats well, drinks a lot (reducing kidney function, regular blood/urine tests done at least every 6 months) and seems ok the little time she's awake.

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

That sounds like a day in the life of Harry! Sometimes he'll chase his toys around but only in short bursts.

I know what you mean about deep sleep. Sometimes I have to prod him to check he's still breathing. Other times the snoring gives it away...

[OlennasWimple]

Yup, same routine as our old fellow. The only variety he has is where he sleeps

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I meant to add that Harry is about 13 and has been like this for years!

[Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]

My current two adult cats (aged 7) are the laziest cats I've ever had. Basil sometimes stays out overnight but apart from that they really do very little other than sleep and eat. My previous 20 year old cat was far more active than them. If your cat is happy I really wouldn't worry.

[LanguidLobster]

Sparkly it's funny when they snore :)

I don't know if mine would qualify as elderly at 14, sometimes I wish she'd sleep a little more. I'm forever screeching when she unexpectedly does a sprint and jump at me and sends everything flying.

It's probably quite normal OP

[maamalady]

Sounds very similar to both my old girls in their last couple of years. Stupidcat (who died aged 16) slept probably 20 hours a day in her last year or two. Oldcat was still charging about at 16, but when she died at 21 she was sleeping 22-23 hours a day probably and spent almost all her time in a heated bed. Both were oblivious to surroundings as they aged and their hearing started to go.

Sorry this sounds like I'm saying "prepare for the end", but it is the reality with elderly pets, and Oldcat in particular looked like she was going to keel over any minute for about five years. Cats are incredibly tenacious - all the sleeping probably helps :)

[Mabelface]

Brian sleeps at least 20 hours a day at age 17. He's happy and healthy, just ancient and slowing down.

[MrsBertBibby]

My old lady (14 with brain tumour) sleeps a lot. She has dreamies and a cuddle when I get up, then back to bed. She takes periodic strolls outside to drink filthy water from the bird bath, but mostly, she snooze.

She comes and shouts at us at bedtime when she wants her steroids, too. When it's hot, she sometimes sneaks upstairs to the attic for the warmth.

[Allergictoironing]

My 4 year olds probably sleep around 19-20 hours a day. Routine is Boycat gets up with me and falls asleep while having morning cuddles. Girlcat emerges when I get out of bed properly. Eat breakfast, maybe have a 10 minute runaround, be asleep again before I leave for work.

They are always asleep when I get in of an evening (about 5.15pm), turn up for strokes & treats, then back to sleep. They will have a couple of active hours in the evening, then dinner, then sleep until bed time. They then have a mad half hour after the lights go out, then back to sleep.

During the weekend, they follow the same routine except I do see them coming down for snacks (and cuddles for Boycat) mid afternoon.

[MrsBertBibby]

Obviously, she just sleeps when she gets there.

[viccat]

evilgiraffe Yes, I have wondered recently how much time she has left, there is just something different about her in the past 6 months - a collection of small niggles like getting noticeably stiff, not jumping onto the table to push things off to the floor any more, the sleeping more, just a general slowing down. She is due another blood test in June at the latest so we'll see how her kidneys are doing and can discuss meds for arthritis...

I wondered about her hearing too but it seems to be more selective hearing loss, she can hear some things perfectly well when she wants to!

[Want2beme]

I had 2 cats that lived to age 20 and they were serious sleepers. I lived in a warm country when one of them was old, so he didn't need pain killer for his old bones. He was PTS 6 years ago. I live in a cold country now and my other 20 year old slept so soundly, it was lovely to see a cat relaxed and not on alert. He was hard of hearing toward to end and on medication for arthritis, which did pep him up a little bit. He was PTS last year.

[SenecaFalls]

Our cat lived to be nearly 20. The last two years of her life pretty much all she did was sleep and eat.

[theunsure]

I've had a lot of oldies - all of mine have had some degree of deafness with age, hence the very deep sleeping.

Current old lady is around 15, she sleeps for about 22 hours out of 24 I'd say. I often have to wake her for meals. She pretty much always wakes up for tea time (on the dot!), but breakfast is a different matter.

She has a burst of energy about 8pm, then she comes downstairs - has lots of cuddles then back to bed. Now and again she has a mad half hour with our youngest, he is 2 and they are best mates.

The colder the weather, the worse she is - on a sunny warm day she will often spend an hour in the windowsill in the sun bird watching. She is 100% indoors through choice though, the other 2 go out but she won't go through an open door or window.

I think what you describe is 100% normal IME, but it is good to have the regular check ups.

[theunsure]

Oh, meant to add - I put my oldie on Yumove supplement about 4 months ago - has been astonishing at improving her movement. Not made her sleep less but noticeably more agile. I recommend it!