Cats are often widely considered aloof and mysterious creatures. With most not being as immediately friendly or overtly social as their canine counterparts they often get a bad reputation.
While we can’t confirm or deny your cat acts in this type of behavior we think we can all agree that they are weird little creatures who often engage in behavior we have a hard time understanding. Today we’d like to get into one of unusual behaviors – cats sleeping on their owners heads.
While it’s hard to know for sure, we believe there are multiple reasons that your cat may sleep on your head. These reason cover a variety of things like warmth and a good view point for your cat to marking their territory and loving our scents! Try to rest easy though, if your cat is doing this to you they really love you as it’s a sign of trust.
We’ve had multiple cats in our household throughout the years and have definitely found each of them to have very different personalities and behaviors.
None of our past cats have ever slept on our heads, but this time around, this current cat…well we can confirm, he most certainly enjoys sleeping on our human heads.
Equal parts startling, uncomfortable BUT also very warm!, it’s not enough that our cats want to take over our beds but it’s as if they’re trying to take over our brains too! But why do some cats enjoy doing this so much? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the top 5 reasons why your cat loves sleeping on your head so much.
Differences in How Cats Sleep Versus Humans
Before we get into why your cat loves sleeping on your head let’s get a little bit into the differences between how we sleep versus our kitty friends.
We all know our cats love their sleep. In fact, cats sleep for an average of 16 hours a day. This is because cats are crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.
While humans are diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day. But it isn’t just how long and when our cats are sleeping that’s a little different from humans but they also go through different cycles of sleep.
The Different Sleep Stages of Your Cat
Humans go through different stages of sleep including light sleep, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and deep sleep. Cats also have REM sleep, but they tend to sleep more lightly and for shorter periods of time than humans.
So instead of having one epic night of 10 hours of sleep like we’ve come to appreciate, our cats are taking shorter but more frequent naps throughout the day and night. This should help explain the origin of the phrase “taking a cat nap” as it refers to a shorter nap.
Even When Sleeping Your Cat is Always Ready to Spring Into Action
The fact that cats sleep more lightly also explains why they are so good at waking up when someone comes home or there is a noise outside. They can be in a deep sleep one minute and the next minute they are alert and ready to fight or run off if they need to.
Even at our cat’s apparently deepest slumber, they are prepared through their powerful senses of smell and sound too spring to action at a moments notice. This most likely stems back to a time before cats were domesticated and had to be prepared to fight or flee at any moment during the day.
Cats Sleep on Our Heads Because It’s Warm and Cozy
Who doesn’t love snuggling up under a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night? It seems that our feline friends feel the same way about sleeping on our heads. After all, what could be more warm and cozy than a human head?
The heat from your body is soothing and makes your cat feel comfortable and relaxed, which contributes to a healthy sleep for them.
Additionally, they can hear your heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe, which can be calming. Cats love being warm and feeling secure, a warm cat is a happy cat!
It Gives Them a Clear View of their Surroundings
Cats love to put themselves in sleep positions that help them feel secure. Another reason cats may sleep on your head is because your head is a great spot to have a clear view of the surroundings.
Not only does being close to your head give them a good view of their surroundings but it always gives your cat a good view of you! Cats like to communicate with their eyes, so your cat sleeping on your head puts her in a clear line of sight into your eyes.
Why is My Cat’s Butt in My Face?
Taking over our pillows is one thing but you may have even found yourself waking up to your cat’s rear end in your face! While not my preferred cat position to wake up too, cats don’t mean anything rude by doing this. Actually, this is a sign that they are quite comfortable with you.
Cats feel vulnerable when they sleep so they will always try to put themselves in a position where they are able to defend themselves if attacked. By your cat turning around and facing the opposite direction of you when she sleeps, she’s saying to you that she trusts you and you’re a part of her family…you aren’t a threat!
They Can Nap Without Being Disturbed
It’s no secret that a lot of us humans have difficulty with getting a good nights sleep, that’s a whole other article and blog site topic, but our restlessness does disrupt our kitty friends and their sleeping.
Because most cats they generally like to sleep near our feet they are right in the middle of the overnight battle to get a good nights sleep. Movement like restless legs, tossing and turning, and constantly getting up to use the rest room are just a few of the nightly disruptions our cats encounter when they sleep closer to our feet. We all know how much our cats love their sleep so this is less than ideal for them.
This may be another reason cats sleep on our heads – it’s quieter for them. Our heads are the most stationary part of our bodies during the night. While our bodies and legs may be constantly twisting and turning throughout the night our heads remain relatively stable giving our cats a nice place to set up for a long slumber.
They May Be Marking Their Territory
Cat are very territorial and they claim their turf through marking it with their scent. When your cat is rubbing against you and your furniture they are releasing a pheromone, that is produced by their glands, that effectively signals to another cat or animal that this spot has been claimed.
When your cat is sleeping on your head, she is likely ensuring her scent has been marked on you and your bed, which leads her to feel more comfortable and relaxed.
Even when your cat sits on you, this is a way of marking territory. However there is a lot more going on if your cat decides to sit in your lap. For instance, did you know that a cat is most vulnerable when he sits in your lap?
Learn all about why a cat sits on you – it’s a great sign that your cat trusts you and loves you.
Cats Like Our Scents (Must be the hormones!)
It’s believed that when cats rub up against their owners they are not only marking their territory but this may also be releasing oxytocin, the feel-good hormone for your cat.
While this hasn’t been extensively studied in cats, science has proven that dogs release oxytocin when in contacts with their owners…so it very well could be likely the same situation with our cats. It is believed that as this hormone is released it comforts them, helps them destress and makes them feel secure.
They Just Seem to Like Our Smells (eww gross)
Beyond the release of hormones, cats also seem to enjoy the scents of their humans as well. For an animal with such a powerful sense of smell we must provide a seemingly endless amount of new things for our super smelling and very curious friends to be checking out.
Everything from our hair products, to what detergent we use to wash our bed sheets, to the ordinary scents accumulated naturally through a long day our pillows have a wealth of smells to be investigating.
There’s a lot more to this at play – like a cat’s scent receptors being incredibly developed. I’ve written an in-depth look on the scent factors of why a cat sleeps on your head – just head on over and learn all about it in the “Why Do Cats Sleep On Your Head?”
Your Cat Loves to Sleep on Your Head Because They Love You
So, there you have it! These are our top 5 reasons why your cat loves sleeping on your head:
- Cats Sleep on Our Heads Because It’s Warm and Cozy
- It Gives Them a Clear View of their Surroundings
- They Can Nap Without Being Disturbed
- They May Be Marking Their Territory
- Cats Like Our Scents
It’s important to remember that each cat is different and may have their own reasons for preferring one spot over another while they sleep. While some of these explanations we’ve listed here may or may not ring true for your feline friend, we do know almost all cats really seem to enjoy the warmth and closeness to you that sleeping on your head provides.
Undoubtedly for most of us, a cat sleeping on your head can be uncomfortable, but it does seem pretty clear that our cats are getting something out of it. Whatever the reason may be, if you don’t mind sharing your pillow with your kitty then let her enjoy her favorite spot! After all, cats are family too!