Have you ever woken up to your feline friend watching you in the dark? It may be a scary thing to see as soon as you open your eyes. There’s no reason to worry though; since your cat is probably just checking out its friend.
My Cat Watches Me Sleep – Is It Normal?
If your cat watches you sleep, it is completely normal. There are a variety of reasons your cat may be watching you. All of them, however, are not harmful to you. Most of them involve your cat just wanting you to be safe, and the others are your cat needing something from you.
Cats are nocturnal animals, and them being awake at night is just their natural state. Along with all the reasons your cat watches you sleep, they could just be bored and looking for entertainment in their human companion.
Why Do Cats Stare at You When You Sleep
1. Your cat is hungry
If you tend to feed your cats first thing in the morning or feed them far away from bedtime, your cat may be staring at you because they are hungry. Try feeding them closer to bedtime, or getting an automatic feeder.
If those don’t change the issue, you may need to look into other alternatives. Remember not to overfeed your cat, as it may cause health problems later in their lives. If you are feeding them normally, don’t overfeed to see if this changes their staring habits. Instead, try adjusting their schedule over time to see if it helps.
2. They feel very close to you
Your cat may feel very close to you and want to spend all their time with you. Cats in the wild don’t form packs like dogs do, but instead make things like colonies. If your cat is the only animal in the house, they may stick to you as their colony.
It’s fairly easy to tell if this is the reason because they will stick around you for most of the day. If you find your cat following you around the house even after you have fed and taken care of, this is a plausible reason.
Remember that this is a good thing, your pet loves you very much and just wants to be around you. There are things you can do to stop them from staring at night, but as most of the other reasons, it is an endearing habit of theirs.
3. Your cat gets anxious at night
If your cat is new to your household they may get anxious in your house. It takes a while for your cat to get used to the new environment and you. They may want to stay close to you if you just moved into a new house together or if you just got the cat in general.
To make them feel more comfortable, try creating areas for them that feel like their old home, or placing things that smell like you on surfaces they can lay on. It will take a while for your cat to be comfortable in the new space so give them time.
If your cat is not usually anxious, but you have noticed their behavior change towards you recently, think back to incidents where your cat may have been hurt by something correlating to you.
This is usually a common sign of your cat experiencing a traumatic moment. Make sure to let your cat know it is safe around you, and that it can let its guard down in your presence.
4. The way you sleep may irritate your cat
As funny as it may sound, if your cat is the type to crawl into bed with you at night, your cat may be irritated by the way you sleep. If you have a particularly restless night where you’re moving around a whole bunch, that might upset your cat.
Because cats are used to having to protect themselves by nature, your cat is a light sleeper. Sometimes they are awoken by a twitch of your fingers or your legs moving in your sleep.
On top of being awoken by your moving, they may think your twitches under the sheets are a small animal or you trying to play with them. This is a completely normal habit for your pets to have. If this bothers you, you may want to keep them out of your room while you sleep, or make them their own bed to rest in.
5. They want to protect you
As mentioned in an earlier reason, your cat sees you as part of their colony. This means they want to protect you, as you protect them while they sleep during the day. Your cat watching you while you sleep in this regard should be seen as an endearing quality since they care about you and want to protect you.
Cats, among other animals, believe that animals are defenseless when they sleep. They also view humans as big kittens. With these two facts, it is not hard to imagine that your feline friend may want to protect you like you were their own baby.
6. You are starting to wake up, and they can tell
Cats as animals are geared towards noticing the smallest details in their environments, and that includes your behavior. As predators to smaller animals, they are keen to notice when a heartbeat or breathing pattern changes to defend themselves.
Your cat can notice you waking up before you do. When we sleep, our heartbeat and breathing change quite a bit, so if they notice your breathing returning to an awake state and your heartbeat quickening, they may notice you are waking.
What Does It Mean When a Cat Watches You Sleep
Cats can watch you sleep for many reasons as explained in an earlier section. They are your friends and they just want to make sure you are okay. Cats can sense danger before most humans can, so if they think something is wrong they will do everything they can to protect you against the unknown danger.
They are curious animals, and if your cat watches you sleep or do other things, they are most likely wondering what you are doing and want to partake in the activities.
Why Do Cats Watch You Sleep FAQ
Why Does My Cat Guard Me When I Sleep?
Cats can be as much of a protector as dogs can, and will do whatever it takes to keep their human friend alive. Thus being said, they like to stand by you while you sleep so that if danger arises they can protect you from it.
If your cat tends to follow you around and guard you while you sleep, as well as not liking new people they don’t know, you may have an over-protective cat. It’s common in cats that have had a bad history to latch onto someone they trust and try to protect them from any “danger” that could arise.
This is an issue that should be solved with love and some “people” training, as to not make the cat become reclusive and angry towards unknown people. With enough patience and time, your cat should be more comfortable around new humans and smells, and won’t try to guard you as protectively at night.
Why Does My Cat Sit On My Chest and Stare at Me at Night?
Your chest is usually the warmest place on your body, and cats will cling to that warmth at night since there is no natural heat. Along with the warmth, they can hear/feel your heartbeat and are “monitoring” your vitals while you sleep, to make sure you are okay.
Many cats in the wild that form colonies watch over each other. Commonly they are found checking in on each other, to make sure their friends aren’t hurt or in danger. This can be translated to your cat watching you while you sleep.
Why Does My Cat Stare Without Blinking?
If your cat stares at you without blinking, they may be uncomfortable around you. Is your cat new? You may have to earn their trust by bonding with them.
Another reason your cat may stare is that they want to play. If you see your cat’s eyes are undilated and they are assuming a pouncing position, get ready because your cat is gonna want to pounce and play with you.
Final Words About Why Your Cat Watches You Sleep
Cats, although our furry pets are also our friends. They view you in an endearing way and want to take care of you just as well as you take care of them. Cats respect you as their equals and want to protect you as their kittens.
Your cat watching you sleep is not a bad thing, although with some routine changes it may be altered. To summarize, your cat could be watching you sleep because it’s hungry, it wants to protect you, or it is irritated by your sleeping habits.
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