9 Scientific Reasons Why Your Cat Sleeps With You

hey Cat lovers and welcome back to another video every cat Guardian knows that cats are very particular creatures they're picky about what they eat what kind of litter they use Etc as such it's no surprise that cats are very selective about where they sleep many Cat Guardians notice a similar pattern in that their cats like to sleep nearby sometimes snuggled up right next to them even with plenty of other good options cat beds couches cozy nooks and crannies your cat may still choose to sleep right next to you or perhaps more accurately on top of you so why is that you'll probably find the reasons sweet and endearing if you enjoyed this kind of content subscribe to the channel for more cat videos now let's reveal nine reasons why your cat sleeps with you number one you provide warmth one of the most basic reasons that a cat may sleep next to you is simply because you are a source of warmth cats are natural heat Seekers so they crave warmth while a human's natural body temperature is 98.6 de Fahrenheit the normal body temperature for a cat is between 99 and 102° fah while this may not seem like a significant difference it does have some impacts on what temperatures cats are comfortable in versus Humans according to the National research Council cats are most comfortable in environments that are between 80 and 100° F while you by no means need to keep your home at such high temperatures it is a good idea to provide your cat with plenty of warm spaces and comfortable bedding to Nestle in considering your body temperature Falls within the preferred range of your cat it is not surprising that many cats like to snuggle up with their humans when looking for a place to sleep cats are most likely to choose the warmest and coest place they can find most of the time that is you as such your cat is likely using you as a natural heat Source number two your cat feels safe around you cats are naturally suspicious of their surroundings and always look out for potential threats and dangers sleeping is when a cat is most vulnerable and unaware of its surroundings so a cat needs to be strategic about when and where it sleeps as such cats are very selective when picking sleeping locations you may have noticed your cat tends to sleep in areas that are sheltered or that give them a good vantage point this is because cats like to sleep in the safest possible places so it speaks volumes if your cat chooses to sleep next to you this means that your cat feels assured that you will protect it from any threats nearby your cat trusts you enough to know that you will not harm them or let harm come to them in some ways it's a big compliment if your cat sleeps next to you it lets you know that your cat trusts you and feels safe enough to be vulnerable around you number three your cat likes having company even though cats are typically viewed as solitary creatures they do enjoy company cats are naturally social sleepers as they snuggle up with their mother and litter mates as kittens sleeping next to family members is how cats would stay warm safe and secure though cats typically grow up to be fairly independent creatures they enjoy snuggling up with trusted others to enjoy a warm safe sleep with all that said your cat may sleep next to you to replicate its natural desire to sleep next to to trusted others this also means that your feline friend may see you as a family member number four cats are territorial cats are naturally Territorial and they like to Mark what is theirs in case there are rival cats nearby even though domesticated cats don't rely on territory as much as their wild ancestors they still use their territorial instincts in their day-to-day lives most common way that cats Express their territorial instincts is by spreading their scent cats have scent glands on their heads backs and paw pads that they use to distribute their scent to claim things as their own your cat probably sees you as its territory and marks you as its own your cat claims you as its territory in many different ways one of which is probably sleeping next to or on top of you by being in close contact with your cat your cat is marking you with its scent as weird as this may seem it is a way that your cat lets you know that it cares for you your cat considers you valuable enough to claim as its territory which is a cute sentiment albeit in a bit of an unconventional way number five your cat sleeps better next to you interestingly research has suggested that dogs emotionally benefit from spending time with their humans a study conducted at aabu University in Japan proved that dogs experienced a 130% increase in oxytocin levels after spending 30 minutes bonding with their owners their owners similarly experienced a 300% increase in oxytocin oxytocin is a hormone that is associated with love trust and bonding people experience Rises and oxytocin levels when they spend time with someone they love like a parent spending time with their child for example the study at aabu University found that dogs experience a similar rise in oxytocin levels when they spend time with their owners so what does this have to do with cats sleeping next to their owners well the initial study just looked at oxytocin levels in dogs but it got many people wondering about whether or not cats experience a similar phenomenon this included neuroscientist Paul Zach who decided to conduct a second study to explore the effects of human cat bonding time on cat's oxytocin levels he found that cats experienced a 12% oxytocin increase on average after interacting with their humans while the results aren't as Stark as in dogs it shows that cats benefit emotionally from spending time with beloved humans higher oxytocin levels are also thought to naturally promote sleep so your cat may experience better sleep when next to a beloved human while this connection has not been fully explored it does potentially explain one of the reasons why cats like to sleep next to humans so much number six your cat is showing affection while there are plenty of strategic and self- beneficial reasons that a cat may sleep next to you there is also the simple explanation that your cat just likes you your cat may feel a close connection to you and enjoy being near you if this is the case your cat may be sleeping next to you to bond and show you affection one study conducted at Oregon State University found that cats genuinely enjoy direct interaction with humans even more so than they enjoy food the researchers presented cats with different stimuli options food to toy scent and human social interaction the majority of cats distinctly preferred human social interaction over all other categories therefore it is clear that cats enjoy spending time with humans and benefit from it it also shows us that your cat doesn't just see you as a food provider but as a source of companionship so don't let the cat haters tell you otherwise science shows us that your cat genuinely likes to spend time with you though many Cat Guardians would argue that that was obvious even without scientific proof your cat shows affection to you in many ways ways one of which is sleeping with you it is a way for your cat to spend time and bond with you number seven your cat likes your scent a likely reason why your cat sleeps with you is that it gets comfort from your scent and your presence the study conducted at Oregon State University a different study than the one in fact number six sought to discover if cats positively respond to the familiar scent of their humans it's specifically dealt with the secure base effect which is a phenomenon that has been observed in humans it suggests that being with someone someone that you are familiar with in an unfamiliar environment reduces stress the study looked to learn if cats experience the secure base effect but with humans they found that cats did seem to be comforted by familiar humans when put in an unfamiliar environment interestingly cats did not get the same Comfort out of an object that smelled like they're humans they were only comforted by the actual presence of their human so even though everything in your house smells like you your cat wants to be in the same space as you not just objects that smell like you this could explain why many cats like to sleep next to or on top of their owners number eight you take good care of your cat the foundations of any cat human relationship are built on the Assurance of your cat's basic needs in other words your cat will only be able to form a strong relationship with you if you take good care of it by feeding it keeping it safe and prioritizing its Comfort if you are a good cat guardian and consistently make sure that your cat's needs are met your cat is more likely to trust you as a result your cat May reflect this trust by spending more time with you and sleeping with you cats tend to be motivated by food and therefore they are likely to prioritize spending time with the provider of their food since you as the cat Guardian are responsible for feeding your cat your cat will want to spend more time with you number nine you are your cat's favorite if your cat chooses to sleep with you over all other options there's a good chance that you are your cat's favorite human this is especially true if you live in a household with multiple people and your cat still chooses to sleep with you while there isn't any scientific evidence to suggest just why cats tend to choose one person as their favorite it is anecdotally clear that cats do have preferences there are lots of different reasons why your cat may have chosen you as its favorite person over others it may be that you bonded with your cat earlier on than other people or that you have a communication style that your cat prefers perhaps you spend more quality time with your cat or you have a schedule that is more in tune with your cat schedule or maybe your feline friend just likes you better than other people for no discernible reason regardless of the reason you should feel flattered if your cat refes to sleep with you it shows that your cat thinks very highly of you trusts you and feels safe around you as you now know there are a lot of different reasons why your cat may sleep next to you even if your cat annoys you at night or disturbs your sleep it is important to remember that your furry friend chose to sleep next to you for a reason your cat trusts you and feels safe enough to sleep next to you so next time you wake up in the middle of the night because your cat is sleeping on your head just know that it is likely doing it out of love now it's time for cat of the week this video is cat of the week is Greg his Guardian says Greg is a proud and handsome tuxedo he's simply The Greatest Cat I've ever had and has a vibrant and quirky personality he's very chatty loving playful loyal and extremely mischievous every day he makes us smile and laugh with his Larger than Life personality and quirky ways congratulations Greg keep being pawsome to enter your cat for a chance to be featured visit the entry link in the description box below so does your cat sleep with you let us know in the comments below also if you found the video interesting please give it a thumbs up because it helps other cat lovers find our content thank you guys for watching and we will see you next cat or day for another video

Channel: The Purring Journal

Views: 529,022

Keywords: cat behavior, my cat sleeps with me, strange cat behaviors, strange cat behavior, cat behavior explained, cat facts, cat videos, cute cats, cat sleeping, facts about cats

Id: 37WdYg2_Ruo

Length: 10min 8sec (608 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 25 2023