Cat Depression - A Medical Reality?

My cat sleeps all the time. That is what the cats do, right?

But how much is to much? His physical activity is reduce to night "hunting" (aka running around the room for maybe 20 minutes) and a few minutes "catch-me" play with a toy every morning , before getting the wet food he deserves :-)

Rest of the day - dry food at discretion.

Few months ago, the cat started show lower interest in playing and lays 2-4 minutes in the sofa - eyes open, no movement to the point he falls asleep.

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In the case of humans bad mood is treated at a Bar :-) Depression is a serious illness, treated by a physician.

I searched the net, but cat depression is not described in a consistent scientific manner, then I have no idea whether cat depression do exist as a medical condition.

Question is: shall I worry about cat being depressive?

Thank you very much for any idea or hint!

Has there been any changes in your household that might have caused your cat to become depressed? How old is he? Cat do slow down, and sleep more as they age.

Not sure if stress would be considered the same as depression, but I think some of the symptoms would be the same. Therefore, I'll post links to some TCS article on stress that might be helpful.

Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
You, Your Cat And Stress
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

Also one on Do Cats Mourn?

One on Bored Cat? What Cat Owners Need To Know (including 10 Actionable Tips)

Plus 7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active and Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

His behaviour is likely just him "being a cat", but do make a vet appointment for him if you notice any significant changes in his eating, drinking, litter box usage, etc.

I've seen cats that seemed depressed but these were cats in the shelters, usually older cats after their life changed dramatically (eg. their owner died or they have never been around other cats before).

Are you sure your cat is not in pain? Does he sleep in comfortable position?
Also, I think if he is free fed of dry food, it could cause him feel heavy and sleep more. I noticed that cats have more energy when they eat wet or raw food. If I were you and lived in Romania, I think it'd be safe to feed him grocery store raw meat once in a while

You may be interested in reading this helpful Article about Cat Sleep:
Cat Sleep - More Than Just A Catnap

Yes, cats do get depressed, but as mentioned, usually there's a trigger---a loss of a companion or a traumatic event or something like that.

How old is he? Cats do get less active with age, but you can still usually get them going at least a few minutes a day. If he still seems willing to play and looks for attention and everything else he's always done, I think he's probably just normal .

Cat is 3 years old. Indoor only.
Feeding mix: one meal 6 hrs in the morning - wet, got after chasing a paper "mouse" + free dry meals to the next morning+ fresh chicken meat once a week (sometime love it, sometime just dont touch it - no apparent reason, that drives me crazy :-))
The cat sleeps: on the bed (of course :-)), on the desk chair or on the heating pipes beneath the window.
My home modifies continuously, as we are all very active persons.
No traumatic event so far.
Integer male (not neutered).

Events:
- moving 2 months ago to Schesir (chicken + rice - all types mix meat with vegetable, for bizarre reasons) brand from low-quality supermarket wet food (the on he loves, I could buy high quality because he is a very small cat by constitution, but he loved that brand.
- apparent weight gain

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One year ago I used to walk him. That was an exceptional experience! I ceased doing it because of busy agenda + winter time.

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For the human sleep, there is a bunch of metabolic and physiologic explanation. For the cats: light sleep + dreaming periods (perhaps).

How can somebody measure the cat's interest in something?! If it is not in figures, it is not science. I feel lost.

My cat is either:
a) just a cat :-)
b) just bored (bad mood)
c) stressed (social)
d) depressed (medical)

I feel lost lost.

I will apply the advises above - thank you all!

But still confused. Has somebody study the cat 's sleep during those 4,000 years we spent together - humans and cat species? :-)

Huh. Well, it is mating season, so if he isn't neutered he might be sexually frustrated. I think he'd be more vocal about it, though, instead of just giving up.

Weight gain can also make them less active. Maybe cutting back a bit on his dry food would help (you can still leave it out for him, just measure it out and give him a bit less).

I will put him on a protective diet :-)

I would actually consider stopping free feeding him and start giving him meals at scheduled time if it is possible for you. Also, consider feeding him wet only if it's possible at all. The best would be high protein, low carbs food (carbs make you sleep), grain and other plant fillers free. If you need a recommendation for good quality wet food, I would suggest: Granata Pet, Catz Finefood, Grau, Feringa, MACs, these are available from zooplus.ro site. But if you have to feed him the dry, consider adding some entertainment/challenge to it, eg. toss his kibble around the house so that he has to run to get it, or make/buy some slow feeders or feed toys like the ones below:
Distribuitoare de hrană interactive, gamă largă la zooplus

Is he of a particular breed? Some breeds are less active then others.

You're saying you're active family, maybe he is simply bored and got used to sleeping? I know some cats don't like changes but I think that some actually appreciate small changes around the apartment; mine loved when I moved the table to the other location the other day. So sometimes when we leave them for longer than usually, I like to move stuff around, place a chair upside down, move the ottoman to the other side of the room etc. I know they investigate this change immediately and sometimes it keeps them busy for hours. I also hide their toys regularly to prevent them from getting bored with them and exchange them every week/2 weeks.

No breed :-). Rescued cat from a gas station 2 1/2 years ago - almost got killed by a pack of dogs. He was not wounded at all, not even touched, but heavily traumatized I suppose: he cant stay hearing dogs barking. :-(

I fed him other brands and he regurgitated.

Toys - yes I had, But get bored to them in a couple of days. Now I make my own toys. :-)

Cats typically sleep 16 to 20 hours a day, keeping in mind that not all of those hours are in a deep/REM sleep.
Cats are also nocturnal, although are usually most active at dusk and dawn. So the fact that your kitty plays in the morning and is rambunctious at night makes sense.
Your kitty might be bored though if there is not anything new and exciting for him to play with. And some cats just don't really play much if its not interactive, like if you were to play with him with a wand toy.
Something else that can peek his interest would be to have a few window perches around so he can look out at the birds and stuff.

Cat depression is real, but I don't think your cat is depressed. If he runs around 20 minutes every night he is probably alright. Some cats are simply lazy, and become more and more a couch potato growing up anyway, you could try to enrich his world and find new toys