During the crepuscular periods of the day, birds have poorer vision than at other times.Ĭats, on the other hand, have eyes that are perfectly adapted to hunting during times of less light, and they use this to their advantage. Large birds such as owls, hawks, and eagles are small cat predators. If we look at non-domesticated cats, we find that a crepuscular pattern is beneficial to their survival.īig cats such as the lion are at the apex of their kingdoms – meaning few if any predators.įor those in the wild, crepuscular behavior is a survival necessity. There is a good biological reason for this activity pattern. But they are more accurately described as “crepuscular,” meaning their most active time occurs at dusk-or twilight-and dawn, just before the sun rises. Are Cats Nocturnal Animals?Ĭats are hard-wired to be more nocturnal (most active at night), than diurnal (most active in the daytime). In any case, when a typical cat (is there such a thing?) comes alive in the evening, it’s only logical to believe that he must be nocturnal. Sometimes it seems cats sleep during the day to save up their energy to play with you when you get home from work.Īt other times, their natural sleep patterns appear to be a diabolical plot to keep you awake at night. After all, the word “catnap” was created especially for them. Humans? Not so much.įor more information about your cat’s sleeping habits and why they’re most active around dawn and dusk, contact Kingstowne Cat Clinic or visit our cat clinic in Alexandria, VA.As anyone who has ever been owned by a cat can tell you, cats sleep a lot. If they wake up, they are instantly aware and capable of taking action, which is an evolutionary trait.

Cats do have REM and non-REM sleep, but no matter what, they’re still always alert.

For cats, restful sleep is different than for humans. They also don’t understand the differences in sleeping patterns. Cats often wake their owners up at least once a night, because they’re awake and ready to go and they’re frustrated that you don’t follow their schedule! If you’ve noticed your cats waking you up in the middle of the night to play or feed, this is common behavior. In addition, felines and their napping schedules in Alexandria, VA don’t exactly correspond to humans’. You’ve probably noticed this in your cats while they’re playing with toys, especially in the dusk or dawn hours-they’ll sit and stare at a toy or at a fellow cat, perhaps giving a little wiggle at the hips, before finally deciding to pounce. Cats are capable of lying in wait for long periods before they decide to attack their prey. Vertical slit retinas are most commonly associated with ambush predators. Cats, for example, have slit-shaped retinas, similar to nocturnal animals, which helps them to see better in the darkness. At these times, there’s just enough light for them to see, but it’s still dark enough to lower the chances that they themselves will become prey to predators.Ĭommon predators for cats, like hawks, will have decreased vision at twilight and in the early morning, which means they are much less of a risk to crepuscular animals at that time.Ĭrepuscular animals will be able to thrive in these times thanks to structural differences in their eyes. Diurnal animals, those awake during the day and asleep at night, enjoy the darkness for sleeping and use the light for hunting, gathering and activity.Ĭrepuscular animals thrive in the in-between times, and are at their best when the daylight and darkness are receding, allowing them to get the best out of both daylight and darkness. They use the darkness to their advantage to hunt for their prey. nocturnalĪnimals that are truly nocturnal like bats, owls, opossums and raccoons are awake at night and sleep all day. This also explains why your cat is most likely to be awake and noisy between the hours of 3 and 5 a.m., and why evenings may tend to be crazy time for your kitties. Most animals that fall into this category evolved in this way to take advantage of times when temperatures were the coolest in desert or arid habitats. This is not true-in fact, they are actually considered “crepuscular,” a category that describes animals with peak levels of activity around dawn and dusk. One of the most common misconceptions about cats in Alexandria, VA is that they’re nocturnal.

Are Cats Nocturnal? Learn More About Felines and Their Napping Habits Febru6:31 pm Published by Writer

Are cats nocturn