You may have thought of diet and exercise as being the most important part of your pet’s health and wellbeing, but did you know that sleep has just as big a part to play?
It’s important to ensure that your furry friend gets a good amount of sleep and that amount varies depending on factors which include age, breed, size and their general health.
It may surprise you that dogs sleep from 12-14 hours a day, while cats sleep from 16-20! That’s nearly 80% of their lives that cats spend sleeping and lounging around! What a good life!
DOGS
The average for dogs is between 12-14 hours of sleep a day, but this can vary for larger breed dogs, puppies and seniors, with the average being around 18 hours. Larger dogs like Great Danes, Greyhounds and Bull Mastiffs can just be downright bed bugs, which means they are great for apartments (though you would never assume this judging by their size! 😉 ). Puppies and older dogs also need a good amount of snooze time for their healthy development.
CATS
Cats don’t have much spectrum when it comes to sleeping; they are either pocket rockets or couch potatoes. The reason behind their super sleepy lifestyle is simply because they can! Let’s go back to nature, when cats would hunt their prey and use a lot of energy in the process in order to survive. These natural instincts are still deep down in your cute tabby or fluffy ragdoll. Even though you hand their food to them in a carefully prepared dish you’ll still find your cat conserving their energy for the time when they’ll pounce or chase something that’s interesting.
Sleep deprivation is just as detrimental to our furry friends as it is to us. Negative effects are similar to humans as well, including: aggressive behaviour, grumpiness, changed eating habits, poor concentration and even an increased chance of illness and anxiety.
What’s just as important as a comfortable and dry place to sleep is keeping their bed in a place where they don’t constantly get disturbed. As much as your pet loves spending time with you, it’s just as important for them to have some quiet time to reboot.
If your pet is showing any unusual behavioural signs it may be time to organise a check up with Pet Doctors!
