Are Maine Coons Nocturnal?

A lot of cat owners get woken up in the middle of the night because their cat is begging to play. As a result, many cat owners are convinced that this means their cats are nocturnal.

Are Maine Coon Cats Nocturnal?

Maine Coon cats are not nocturnal. While they are sometimes active at night, Maine Coons, like other cats, are crepuscular. This means they are most active during dawn and dusk because it is the peak time for catching prey and hiding from predators.

Contrary to popular belief, Maine Coon Cats, like other domestic cats, are not nocturnal. Instead, they are crepuscular animals, despite being active during some parts of the night.

What Is A Crepuscular Animal?

The word “crepuscular” comes from the Latin word crepusculum, which means twilight. Today, the word crepuscular is used to refer to any animal that is most active at dusk and dawn.

There are several reasons why this circadian pattern is advantageous to cats.

For animals who live in incredibly hot, dry places, being awake during the cool hours of dawn and dusk allows them to preserve moisture and prevent becoming overheated.

Many types of prey, like bugs, birds, and small rodents are crepuscular, so many predators have evolved to be most active during these times, to ensure more plentiful eating (source 1).

Why Are Maine Coon Cats Crepuscular?

Cats are thought to have become crepuscular due to the following environmental reasons:

1. Temperature

Why would a Maine Coon cat want to hunt from midday to early afternoon when the sun is at its hottest?

Additionally, cold chilly nights would also not provide a favorable climate for these large cats, due to the cold temperature.

By comparison, the temperature between dusk and dawn is ideal for them to hunt.

2. Natural Light

The peak time for your Maine Coon cat to be active, and hunting its prey, is from dusk to dawn when the light is limited.

Whilst limited light can reduce a human’s vision, it is thought that Maine Coons are still able to hunt successfully.

The limited light is also beneficial to them as the darkness helps to hide their movements.

3. Instinct

Maine Coon cats are active from dusk to dawn since they instinctively know that the twilight hours are the most advantageous hours to hunt their prey.

4. More Prey

Maine Coons love to eat small mammals, like birds, mice, flies, and bugs.

These prey are more active during the twilight hours, so it’s not surprising the Maine Coon cat makes its peak hunting hours when there is more prey available.

5. Safety From Predators

The Maine Coon cat’s predators are less active during the twilight hours.

It’s no surprise therefore that Maine Coons prefer being crepuscular when their predators are less active!

Being crepuscular enables the Maine Coon cat to hunt from dawn to dusk more safely, as they do not have to fear being attacked by larger animals.

What Do Maine Coon Cats Do At Night?

If you have an outdoor cat who leaves at night, you’re probably wondering what your feline friend gets up to during that time.

The three most common activities that cats do at night are:

• Hunting
• Greeting other cats
• Patrolling and exploring the territory

Indoor cats often spend their time doing what’s known as “zoomies,” where they release pent-up energy by running around the house.

What Do Maine Coon Cats Do During The Day?

When the Maine Coon cat isn’t out hunting prey, or having ‘zoomies’ moments, they like to do the following:

1. Sleep

Maine Coon cats spend copious amounts of the day sleeping, and having cat naps!

In fact, some studies have revealed that the Maine Coon can sleep for 16-18 hours a day! Now that’s a LOT of sleeping!

Don’t be fooled though as your Maine Coon is often only sleeping lightly, and is aware of what is going on around them.

Maine Coon cats might look like they are asleep, however, if you watch their ears you will notice that their ears move towards general noises within your home.

This shows that these felines are hard-wired to listen out for predators or movements nearby them that might cause them harm.

2. Deep Sleep

Just like us humans, Maine Coon cats have periods where their bodies move into what specialists classify as “deep sleep”.

This stage of sleep is essential for the feline body to recover and fix itself. If your cat is deep sleeping, you will likely hear them snore! Or, twitch their ears, head, or paws whilst they dream.

Unlike humans though, only a quarter of the Maine Coons sleep is thought to be “deep”, lasting for small chunks of 10-20 minutes.

3. Play

When these big cats are not hunting prey, they love to play.

Playtime is important for the Maine Coon cat as it helps keep their bodies fit and healthy.

Expect your Maine Coon to master simple cat toys, but find these cat toys more challenging and stimulating.

Whilst Maine Coon cats do love to play, they only require 20-30 minutes of playtime each day.

How Many Hours A Day Do Maine Coons Sleep?

Cats sleep much more than humans, typically averaging about 15 hours of sleep each day. In some cases, cats may sleep even more, up to about 20 hours a day.

Kittens typically need around 20 hours of sleep a day, but this will gradually lessen as the cat grows older.

Are Cats Nocturnal Or Crepuscular?

If you’re convinced that your cat is more active at night than during dawn and dusk, you might be asking yourself “Are all cats crepuscular?”

Owners who have never been woken up by their cat at night, however, might be wondering, “Do cats sleep at night?”

Strictly speaking, all cats are crepuscular, and not nocturnal. However, this doesn’t mean cats aren’t still active at night. Being crepuscular simply means that an animal is most active at dawn and dusk.

Even if your cat is awake at night, it will still most likely be awake during dawn and dusk, which means it is crepuscular, and not nocturnal.

Are Indoor Cats Nocturnal?

Cats that are strictly indoors will likely still be crepuscular, not nocturnal.

While it is possible for a Maine Coon’s sleeping schedule to change slightly based on the schedule of its owners, being indoors or outdoors doesn’t actually affect whether a cat is nocturnal or crepuscular.

How Do I Stop My Cat From Being Crepuscular?

If you want an animal that is diurnal and not awake throughout the day, then a cat might not be the right pet for you.

With that being said, it is possible to shift a cat’s sleeping schedule so that it is more active during the day and less active at night.

If your cat is keeping you awake at night, it’s possible to discourage loud and intrusive behaviors without stopping your cat from being crepuscular.

Some ways to keep your cat quiet at night include playing more during the day, keeping your door closed at night, and creating a designated “play” room far from your bedroom at night.

Starting in kittenhood, you can also gradually shift your cat’s sleeping schedule so it is more active during the day.

By playing with your cat more during the day, it will be more tired at night, and more likely to sleep. It’s also possible to (gently) wake your cat if it’s sleeping during the day.

However, it’s important to remember that cats are naturally crepuscular, and simply need a lot more sleep than humans.

It might be impossible to get your cat to stay awake throughout most of the day, and it could even damage your cat’s help if you prevent it from sleeping.

Tips On How To Get Your Cat To Sleep At Night

If you want to train your cat to sleep at night, here are some tips to shift your cat’s sleeping schedule.

• Don’t React to Your Cat at Night: Many cats become needy and loud at night, often begging to play or be fed. The first step in changing your cat’s sleeping schedule is to ignore any undesirable behaviors at night. This will teach your cat that night is not the time to play or eat.

• Play More During the Day: Playing with your cat more during the day will not only allow your cat to get out its desire for play before night, but it might also tire your cat out.

• Wake Your Cat Up: You might resort to gently waking your cat while it’s sleeping during the day, and instead convince your cat to play and explore.

• Go Outside: By letting your cat outside, or taking your cat out for regular walks during the day, your cat might get enough stimulation to start sleeping more at night.

• Make Night Time Less Fun: You might encourage your cat to sleep more at night by removing or hiding toys. If your cat learns that nighttime is boring and daytime is fun, it will be more likely to shift its sleeping schedule to line up with yours.

• Start in Kittenhood: Learning how to train a kitten to sleep at night will be a lot easier than training an adult cat. If you get your Maine Coon as a kitten, start establishing the desired schedule early on so that it becomes a regular part of life.