Why is the luxury cat bed you bought for 800 yuan not as good as a broken cardboard box for express delivery?

Today is a very interesting festival - the annual International Cat Day .

At this moment, all you "poop scoopers" should put down your mobile phones and rub your "masters" hard for a while.

There are so many stories about cats. For example, cats' ears are controlled by more than 30 muscles and can rotate 180 degrees. However, even with flexible ears, they still choose to ignore your call and sleep soundly.

For example, they won’t even look at the expensive cat bed you carefully selected, and would rather lie in the delivery box that contains the cat bed.

Why does a cat bed never "grow" a cat? Today, let's talk about this common myth among cat owners.

Where do cats sleep?

Where do "masters" like to sleep? Animal behaviorists are actually very concerned about this (it is not ruled out that they are also suffering from their "masters" at home).

According to the survey statistics, the most common place for cats to sleep at night is still the owner's bed, accounting for 34%; in addition, 22% of cats choose various furniture, and 20% of cats prefer their own cat bed. Of course, most of the respondents admitted that their cats basically only spend part of the night in bed, and 47% of the respondents estimated that their "masters" sleep in bed for less than half a night or even less.

It seems to be a self-evident thing to provide cats with their own little home. Even if cats spend a lot of time in human beds, they still have a strong sense of ownership of their territory. Cats like high places and places where they can hide their bodies, so a cozy nest on the top of a tall cat climbing frame will be the best choice for cats.

In the survey, more than half of cat owners allow their cats to sleep in their beds, and 38% of cats choose to sleep on pillows with their owners. Interestingly, most of these cats who choose to sleep on pillows are young cats, while older cats still prefer to sleep at the foot of the bed.

Some studies believe that sleeping on pillows is a way for cats to express intimacy and trust , where they can feel the breath and voice of their owners, which provides a sense of security for young kittens. Sleeping at the feet is generally because these old guys don't like to be disturbed while sleeping - such as a greasy hand of a shoveler's carefully licked hair - and it also allows them to more quickly sense the movements of the shoveler getting up, making it easier for them to run to the food bowl to feast. At the same time, sleeping at the end of the bed allows them to clearly observe the environment near the door, so that they can quickly escape if anything happens.

Sleeping at the feet or pillow can also help cats keep warm . Of course, in the hot summer, they will try to keep a certain distance from humans to avoid overheating. A few cats will choose to snuggle in their owners' arms or sleep on their owners' chests, but for most cats, such large-area contact is unbearable.

As former hunters in the wild, cats’ ancestors needed to search for prey in high places and be alert to predators. This habit is deeply imprinted in their genes. Therefore, modern domestic cats still retain this preference for high places, which provide them with a wide field of vision, help them to detect potential threats in time and ensure safety. In addition, cats have a very high demand for a sense of security. High places or enclosed spaces can give them more control and reduce vulnerability. In addition, cats love cleanliness by nature. They will look for a clean and comfortable environment to rest. If the original place no longer meets their requirements, they will move decisively.

That is why cats should pay more attention to sleeping in unusual places. For example, when cats choose to sleep under the bed, it is usually a sign that they feel threatened, uncomfortable or hidden pain. If the source of their negative emotions cannot be determined, it is best to consult a veterinarian to determine the cause and treat it if necessary.

Cat's sleep quality

Better than you can imagine

Cats sleep for varying lengths of time, depending on their age and personality, but they typically curl up for more than 10 hours a day. These nimble little guys prefer a warm, cozy, and secure place to sleep, and in winter they'll seek out a carpet or other heat source in direct sunlight, and sleep with their face between their paws, while in summer they'll lie flat in a shady corner, using the cold, hard ground to help them dissipate heat.

But these magical little creatures are always full of surprises and wonderful ideas, and their definition of "bed" is obviously very different from that of humans , which is why you can always find your little ancestors in some strange places.

If you haven't seen your cat for quite some time, maybe you should open your closet and see if there are any curled up little ones in there. Cats always like those clean clothes with good smells, especially sweaters. These textiles not only provide a good sleeping environment, but also help keep their claws sharp. Of course, who wears those sweaters full of loose threads, balls and cat hair is not something cats need to care about.

In addition, in winter, the cat owner's computer may also be defined as a bed. These small metal panels with built-in heating systems are just electric blankets for cats. They don't care about productivity issues. If they are unhappy using them, they can use those glowing transistor screens to grind their teeth.

As we all know, "cats are liquids." They like any container that can "properly" hold their bodies - various bags, cartons, trash cans, and sinks. They always immerse themselves in these containers as if they were melted, and fall asleep in very complicated postures.

Although cats are naturally nocturnal animals, this habit may actually change due to living with humans. Cats that live at home with humans for a long time are usually more active during the day, and they will take the initiative to adjust their wakefulness time to the time when their owners are at home and can interact with them.

And interestingly, like humans, cats have REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM sleep stages. REM sleep gets its name from the rapid eye movements of cats during this stage, which indicates that they are in a dream state. Some cat owners may have seen cats twitching their limbs in their sleep like cramps, and occasionally they will be awakened by nightmares and hurt themselves by their claws. Cats may dream about recent events. For example, they may have stalked a squirrel or a bird in the yard. They may have had a fight with your dog. Or they may just dream about being petted by you.

When cats first fall asleep, they first enter a non-REM sleep period, during which they are relatively easy to be awakened by external stimuli, such as sudden noises. After about 10 to 30 minutes of non-REM sleep, cats will switch to REM sleep, which usually lasts about 10 minutes, and then return to non-REM sleep again. This process will continue to cycle between REM and non-REM sleep until the cat wakes up completely. Young cats sleep almost entirely in REM sleep, and this proportion will decrease rapidly as they grow older.

Cat's sleeping position

Cats always sleep peacefully in a variety of postures, but in fact each sleeping posture has its own special meaning:

1

Curled up

This is one of the most common sleeping positions for cats. They will curl up tightly into a ball with their heads buried between their chests and abdomens. This sleeping position not only helps to maintain body temperature, but also provides an extra sense of security during sleep. For cats, curling up is a self-protective posture, as if hiding themselves in a simulated wild environment to avoid becoming a target for predators.

2

Side-lying stretch

When cats feel extremely relaxed and comfortable, they will choose to sleep in a side-lying stretching position. In this position, the cat's body is completely relaxed, the limbs are stretched, and sometimes the belly is exposed, showing extreme trust in the environment. Side-lying stretching not only helps cats' blood circulation, but also allows them to better recover their physical strength during sleep.

3

Belly up

The belly-up sleeping position is relatively rare among cats, but once it appears, it means that the cat has extreme trust in the surrounding environment. This unreserved sleeping position shows the cat's relaxation and also shows that they believe that there will be no threats in this environment. However, since the belly is the most vulnerable part of a cat, this sleeping position usually only appears in a place they think is absolutely safe.

4

Lying down

The prone position is a sleeping position for cats when they are alert. They will stretch their front legs straight, lift their heads slightly, and bend their hind legs to support their bodies. This position allows cats to quickly get up and react to possible danger. The prone sleeping position is more common when cats are just falling asleep or when there are potential threats in the surrounding environment.

5

High Difficulty Acrobatics

Some cats are born "sleeping artists" who can pose in various difficult acrobatic sleeping positions, such as hanging on curtains, squatting on the edge of bookshelves, or curling up in narrow gaps. These unique sleeping positions not only show the flexibility and balance of cats, but also reflect their adaptability and creativity to the environment. Of course, we still don't know how cats hang themselves in those weird places to sleep.

If you're feeling anxious or lonely, having a purring pet nearby may help you fall asleep. Snuggling with a pet may also help relieve the stress you're experiencing . It can lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase levels of oxytocin, a hormone that makes you feel better.

However, in reality, the presence of cats does not seem to help most people's sleep quality . In the survey, 22% of the respondents believed that petting cats at night helps them sleep, while 38% said they would sleep more peacefully without this "ghost thing", and another 41% believed that the presence or absence of cats makes no difference.

Most cats are still accustomed to being active at night. So when you want to have a good sleep, how should you deal with these night-time crazy "masters"?

A better solution is to play with your cat before bed . Cats use up a lot of energy when they play, so try to increase the amount of play time. Some cats who don't get enough attention sometimes deliberately leave the litter box uncleaned or scratch your furniture on purpose. Be sure to give your cat plenty of attention and play time, especially before bed. Playing before bed can reduce the chances of them getting mad and may tire them out.

It’s not easy to be a poop scooper, as you have to serve your “master” well before you can have a good night’s sleep.

Planning and production

Author: Maomao Nebula Science Creation Team

Review丨Liu Weiwei Associate Researcher, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Planning丨Yang Yaping

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin

All cat pictures in this article are provided by the editors of Science Popularization China