kitten sleeping too much?

[marblesmom]

My 5-month-old kitten has been sleeping more and playing less lately. She is playful in the am, then basically naps from around 1 pm until 10 pm, with only short wakes to eat and use the litter box. Late at night she starts playing again.
I am not sure how much she also sleeps overnight. She does sleep with us at least some.
I know cats are nocturnal, but is this an excessive amount of sleeping?

 

[kittykisa]

Since kittens are nocturnal, you have to find a way to 'break the chain' and get her to adjust to your sleeping schedule. What I did for my kitten was I'd close her in my bedroom at night and pet her until she fell asleep (try giving your kitten a meal right before bed, as they usually tend to sleep after they eat). During the day, try to make your kitten sleep less by playing with her. Although it may seem cruel to wake your kitten up when she's sleeping, its best for the both of you if she adapts to your sleeping schedule. Play with her during the day to keep her from sleeping and by the end of the day, she'll be so tuckered out from playing that she'll sleep throughout the whole night! Keep doing this until you start to see a change, that's what I did for my kitten and now she sleeps throughout the night and plays throughout the day.

 

[moorspede]

Kittens sleep about 75 percent of the time, they need that sleep because they grow so rapidly. Having said that it you could try Jackson Galaxy's method of training your cat to follow your sleeping patterns.

It's at youtube, just put the following into the search area "Jackson Galaxy" "Train your cat to let you sleep". It involves establishing a routine where you play with your kitten half an hour before you go to bed and then feed her. Over a period of a few days to a week you should see a difference in the way she sleeps. 

 

[marblesmom]

Hm- I've also noticed she isn't coming into bed to snuggle with me as much- the past two days not at all- and those days she's noticeably slept most of the day. Maybe she is just flip-flopped and is up more overnight than she used to be. I didn't think of that- I assumed she was sleeping all night too. I will try keeping her up during the day. Thanks!

 

[sevenplus1]

My 5-month-old kitten has been sleeping more and playing less lately. She is playful in the am, then basically naps from around 1 pm until 10 pm, with only short wakes to eat and use the litter box. Late at night she starts playing again.
I am not sure how much she also sleeps overnight. She does sleep with us at least some.
I know cats are nocturnal, but is this an excessive amount of sleeping?

I am having the exact same experience right now with my five month old male kitten Spike. He plays in the am with my other male cat, Rex, who is 1.5 years old. They will play for a few hours, mostly chasing each other (ala Tom and Jerry). But then Spike will sleep from about 3 in the afternoon until 11 at night when he will slowly wake up and start to pick up steam.

I have had kittens before and while they all vary in their energy levels, Spike does sleep more than any of them. I have taken him to the vet and he did have round worms when we got him so we had to give both cats an anti-biotic. And he did have a mild URI which is mostly gone now (an occasional cough which the vet is monitoring). But he shows no signs of being in pain and his appetite is excellent.

So I'm curious as to what happened with Marbles who I'm guessing is 10 months old by now. Has she changed her energy levels?. Does she still sleep as much? I hope she is healthy and happy.

 

[Neo_23]

If you think your kitten is not as active as usual or feeling lethargic there may be an underlying medical issue. Yes, cats sleep a lot, but you know what’s normal for your cat. Cats sleeping more and behaving differently is a very good indicator that he or she might be sick. I would have your cat checked by the vet if you are worried. You know your cat best and will be able to sense if something is wrong. Follow your gut.

 

[sevenplus1]

Thank you for your reply neo_23. I actually have had my cat checked just last week (and the week before that) as he had round worm detected when I got him 5 weeks ago and he was coughing with a mild uri. I told the vet what I posted about and she said that she wasn't concerned about his sleeping but was monitoring the uri which is very minor. (She said if he continues to cough she will give him an anti-biotic and if he still persists she will do a lung x-ray.)

The cat is somewhat odd as he is very playful and mischievous by day and very sleepy by night. I was searching for similar experience and marblesmom' op was very close to what I am going through. Right now he is playing with the other cat (and has been for the last hour). They are chasing each other all over the house (ala Tom and Jerry). But I know in an hour or so he will probably start his hibernating period where he sleeps pretty soundly until 11 with small periods to eat and go to the litter box.

Its weird, I can't really say he's sick yet he sleeps more than I've seen kittens sleep. Thus the dilemma.

 

[Neo_23]

I would keep monitoring him and inform your vet to any changes in his behaviour. When my kitten had a fever he was sleeping more than usual and eating less. He was still playing and eating some, but I could just tell that he was different. Eventually he stopped eating and became very weak. Just keep an eye on him.

 

[Summercats]

sevenplus1
Try playing with him a bit earlier say around ten then feeding. Kittens sleep a lot and felines are most active at dawn and dusk.

 

[sevenplus1]

Thank you for your replies. I'm going to monitor little Spike. He has to go to the vet in 2 weeks for his last vaccine. If anything changes I'll take him in sooner. And I watched Jason Galaxy's video about changing a cat's sleeping behavior. That's something I could do as well. I would never have thought of that.

 

[Neo_23]

Just be careful because if he is sick it would be a bad idea to give him a vaccine. Just like humans, getting a vaccine when your immune system is compromised can result in even more sickness.

 

[marblesmom]

Hi! Marbles just turned 1. The sleeping for many many hours thing decreased with time. She doesn't sleep nearly as deeply anymore, and she's up and about more total hours during the day than she was at 5 mos; also, there's less of a dichotomy- she doesn't stay up for many hours then totally crash for many hrs. Instead she cat-naps for up to a few hrs at a time, then will be up for a while, more on and off, and is usually up all evening til we go to bed (at least).

Hope that helps I think she was just a really active kitten and wore herself out so that she crashed every day! And she slept "like a baby"- deeply- whereas she does not anymore.

 

[sevenplus1]

Hi! Marbles just turned 1. The sleeping for many many hours thing decreased with time. She doesn't sleep nearly as deeply anymore, and she's up and about more total hours during the day than she was at 5 mos; also, there's less of a dichotomy- she doesn't stay up for many hours then totally crash for many hrs. Instead she cat-naps for up to a few hrs at a time, then will be up for a while, more on and off, and is usually up all evening til we go to bed (at least).

Hope that helps I think she was just a really active kitten and wore herself out so that she crashed every day! And she slept "like a baby"- deeply- whereas she does not anymore.

Great to hear! Marbles is a beautiful cat. I'm glad she has more normal energy patterns. I'm hoping my cat follows in the same direction.