Why Does My Maine Coon Sleep So Much?
If you’ve noticed your Maine Coon sleeping more often than normal, you might be wondering why does my Maine Coon sleep so much?
A Maine Coons crepuscular behavior means they are most active during the early hours of the morning and dusk. The average Maine Coon sleeps for sixteen hours a day, mostly during the daylight hours. They sleep and rest so they have the energy to be active at night. Boredom is a key cause of Maine Coons excessive sleeping.
This is a common concern felt by cat owners since these gentle giants hold a special place in our hearts.
In this article, we will look thoroughly at the query, and determine if Maine Coon cats sleep more than normal cats, and whether owners should be worried.
Or, are Maine Coon cats just lazy?!
Maine Coons are one of the most interesting cat breeds there are, and that holds true with their sleeping patterns.
From the way they sleep, when they sleep, and why they sleep, there are many interesting things to learn about your cat’s sleeping patterns.
How Long Do Maine Coon’s Usually Sleep?
In general, cats tend not to be the most active of species, and Maine Coon cats are no different. Some even argue that this breed is less active than average!
So, are they one of the least active breeds of cats out there?
On average, the Maine Coon cat will sleep for sixteen hours a day.
Some owners do claim that their cat seems to sleep for more than this though, maybe even twenty hours a day.
What’s useful to know, is that the sleeping hours do not have to be divided up, as you would assume. Instead, your cat may sleep sixteen to twenty hours straight in a single day.
Maine Coon cats are well known for being playful, late into their adult lives.
However, they are also known for their love of sleeping, as well.
This means that owners of this particular cat breed might notice sporadic short bursts of energy displayed by their treasured Maine Coon during the daytime. This is then followed by sleep.
In fact, you are probably more familiar with seeing your Maine Coon cat sleep most of the day away!
During the hours that your cat is in fact awake, he or she will probably spend most of that time relaxing, laying about, stretching, and grooming.
Somewhere amidst all that relaxing, they will also find time to eat, of course.
Do Maine Coons Sleep Longer Than Other Cat Breeds?
The average cat will sleep for fifteen hours per day, whereas a Maine Coon will happily sleep for 16 hours, or even 20!
It is, therefore, safe to say that Maine Coon cats do sleep for slightly longer than most other cat breeds.
There are a few reasons why Maine Coons sleep for longer than the average cat walking down the street:
- Time spent dozing
- Sleep for longer periods
The first reason is that normal cats spend most of their time dozing, in a state of very light sleep. During this period, they will only sleep deeply for about five minutes at a time.
By comparison, Maine Coons will spend anywhere between 10 – 20 minutes in deep sleep at any time.
The second reason is that Maine Coons often sleep for more time, in one go.
Other cat breeds are different since they tend to get up more often, during the middle of their average fifteen hours of sleep. This does not happen with Maine Coon cats.
In fact, you shouldn’t be surprised if your Maine Coon can sleep for the whole sixteen straight.
Do Maine Coons Sleep More As Kittens or Adults?
Maine Coon kittens sleep longer than their adult counterparts. Senior and pregnant Maine Coons also sleep more than average.
Whilst twenty hours a day of sleeping might sound like a lot, for a regular adult Maine Coon, you can expect the kittens, seniors, or pregnant cats of this breed to actually sleep that much on a regular basis.
This is because Maine Coon kittens and pregnant Maine Coons need more energy as they are growing (or growing another cat).
Senior Maine Coon cats are also less active generally than their younger counterparts, just like senior humans often are.
Maine Coon Sleeping Habits
Maine Coon cats are what is known as crepuscular, which means they are the most active at dawn and dusk.
So no, just because your cat seems nocturnal, it actually isn’t.
If you were awake at night, you would notice that your cat may even sleep for a long time in the middle of the night.
You can expect, however, that your cat may be awake more during what you would still consider night unless you are a very late-night owl or a very early riser.
During the times that you do see your cat sleep, you may notice them twitch around or make sounds as if they are dreaming, but are they really?
Yes! Maine Coon cats can dream while they are in a deep sleep.
That means that while most of the time your cat is not dreaming, for about ten to twenty minutes every sleep cycle, he or she most likely is.
Here’s a cute video of our Maine Coon cat waking up from a long sleep, gradually …
Why Do Maine Coons Sleep So Much?
If your Maine Coon cat is sleeping more than the typical sixteen hours a day, owners should not necessarily start worrying.
Here are a few reasons that might cause your Maine Coon to start sleeping more than usual:
1. Age
If your Maine Coon is a kitten, or older, it may sleep upwards of twenty hours a day, as mentioned above.
For a Maine Coon kitten, this is because they use a lot of their energy (even while they are sleeping) to grow.
These friendly, and lovable Maine Coon kittens also have to grow a lot, to become one of the biggest cat breeds on that planet.
This takes plenty of sleeping time and energy! Owners of Maine Coon kittens are therefore less likely to see their precious kitten awake all that much until they are older.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, senior cats naturally start to sleep more, like the human race does as it ages.
Older cats feel worn out far more quickly, and cannot hold energy as long as they could when they were younger, so inevitably start to sleep more.
This is a natural process for all sorts of species, including Maine Coons and humans!
2. Pregnancy
If your cat is pregnant, she is using a lot of her energy to grow baby kittens, and that energy is even used while she is sleeping.
For this reason, she is going to need more sleep than other Maine Coon adult cats.
For her health (and yours), let her sleep as much as she needs, whenever she needs, even if it is different than her usual Maine Coon sleeping habits, that she had before she was pregnant.
Learn more about Maine Coon pregnancy in this fact-filled article I wrote.
3. Weather
When it is rainy outside, do you ever feel like you could sleep more?
Or perhaps when you lay out in the sun to tan, you usually find yourself feeling like you could doze off?
Well, just like you, the weather affects a Maine Coons sleep schedule, and they will use any reason they can to catch a few more hours of snoozing.
If the weather is colder, or hotter, than they are used to they will probably sleep more. If it is raining, they will also probably be less active.
So basically, any day that has any slightly odd weather pattern, you can expect to see your Maine Coon cat sleeping even more than usual.
Do Maine Coon cats like the cold weather? Here’s what I found.
When to be Concerned?
Whilst most Maine Coon sleeping habits are nothing to be concerned about, there are a few things that owners should be aware of if they notice their cat is sleeping far more than normal.
These are:
- Boredom
- Underlying health issues
1. Boredom
If your cat is bored, it will likely sleep more. While this is not specifically a health concern, it definitely isn’t good for your cat to start sleeping more, simply due to boredom.
Even though your cat is not an extremely active breed, you should still provide it with plenty of Maine Coon toys (these are my favorite cat toys).
Your big cats also need regular exercise each day, to prevent them from becoming obese.
Owners are therefore advised to purchase a study cat climbing tower, to keep their feline stimulated, and exercise whilst it is awake.
These are the best cat towers, specifically suited to the Maine Coon cat’s larger physical presence.
One of the best ways to avoid cat boredom, is by buying two kittens, instead of one.
This is beneficial since both cats then have an on-site playmate available, whenever they want to play. Two kittens enable fun, play, exercise, and companionship.
Secondly, there are some health issues that could cause your Maine Coon to sleep more.
If your Maine Coons has a major shift in his or her sleeping pattern rather suddenly, or you notice other concerning symptoms along with the sleeping, you should speak to your vet.
For more information on possible feline health issues, check out my article, “Top 7 Maine Coon Health Issues“.
Do Maine Coons Sleep In Odd Positions?
One of the most entertaining things about the Maine Coon cat breed is the various positions that they fall asleep in!
There are a few reasons used to explain these unusual sleeping patterns:
- Maine Coons will sleep anywhere
- They fall to sleep quickly
First of all, Maine Coons love to sleep so they will pretty much fall asleep wherever they can, which can result in some pretty funny situations.
Secondly, Maine Coons can slip into sleep just one moment after they were playing.
They can also spring up from sleep and go immediately into playing (or defending themselves) without missing a beat.
Because the breed is designed to be able to do that, they generally sleep in positions that allow them to jump in and out of sleep easily.
Conclusion
Maine Coons are such special creatures; often holding a special place in their owner’s hearts.
For this reason, if you notice seemingly odd behavior, you may start to question why they are doing it.
When you are questioning how much your pet is sleeping, you may wonder if you are reading too much into things, but believe it or not, countless Maine Coon owners are asking the same question.
Why does my Maine Coon sleep so much? is one of the most popular questions being asked!
You now know have all the information relating to the Maine Coons sleeping tendencies.
Therefore, if you are still concerned that your Maine Coon is sleeping for a potentially dangerous reason, reach out to your vet and ask them specific questions about your cat’s symptoms.
Schedule an appointment if you think this is necessary, so a veterinary professional can check your cat out.
Just remember, chances are that your cat is sleeping just as much as it should, which is two-thirds of the day.
Therefore, try not to worry, and instead go off and laugh at that odd position your Maine Coon cat is currently sleeping in, right now!
