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Chances are you've already heard that cats are nocturnal animals, perhaps because they walk the streets at dawn hunting prey or because cats' eyes glow in the dark. The truth is that cats are not considered day animals, which leads us to think that, certainly, cats are nocturnal and prefer darkness to daylight.
In this PeritoAnimal article we will show you the definitive scientific proof that answers the question how cats behave at night. You should know that cats are not nocturnal animals, they are actually twilight animals. Next, we will go a little deeper into this theme in order to understand the term twilight and the nuances that this statement has.
Is a cat day or night?
Domestic cats, Felis sylvestris catus, they are not nocturnal animals, such as the owl, the raccoon and the ocelot, but they are twilight animals. But what does it mean? The twilight animals are those that are most active at dawn and dusk, as this is the time of day when their prey is also active. However, prey can learn the activity patterns of their predators, which is why adaptations sometimes occur, which means a change in the habits of certain species.
There are many twilight mammals such as hamsters, rabbits, ferrets or opossums. However, the term twilight is rather vague, as many of these animals are also active during the day, which can cause confusion.
The fact that cats are twilight animals explains why domestic cats sleep most of the day and tend to wake up at dawn or at dusk. Likewise, cats tend to get used to their caregivers' schedules. They prefer to sleep when they're alone and stay more active during feeding hours, so you may find that they ask for attention when they are fed.
But you must remember that the Felis sylvestris catus, despite being a domestic animal, it is descended from a common ancestor that it shares with several wild cats, such as the lion, the tiger or the lynx, animals that in fact are nocturnal. They are considered expert hunters and only need a few hours a day to hunt. The rest of the day is spent in a relaxed way, napping and resting.
On the other hand, it is considered that the behavior ofwild cats (domestic cats who had no contact with people and who spent their lives on the street) are completely nocturnal due to the fact that their prey (usually small mammals) and other food sources appear after dark.
Feral cats are totally dependent on prey for food, with the exception of those found in colonies, so they show more nocturnal patterns than domestic cats, even those that can go out of the house freely. [1] Also adopt these nocturnal behavior patterns to avoid the human.
cat behavior
It is said that domestic cats are the most twilight animals among all felines, as they have adapted their predatory nature to the maximum. These cats avoid wasting their energy during the hottest hours of the day, when there is a lot of daylight, and snuggle during the coldest nights, especially in winter, to have a highest activity peak during twilight.
cats sleep about 16 hours a day, but in the case of elderly cats they can sleep up to 20 hours a day. Have you ever wondered why the cat wakes me up at dawn? Although there are several reasons, the fact that they are twilight animals also comes into play and explains why the cat is more active and nervous at night.
Most domestic cats are used to living indoors, so they can sleep 70% of the time. Peak activity, in turn, represents about 3% of your time, compared to wild cats, where it is 14%. This has to do with hunting behavior, as these wild cats need to spend more time moving, searching for prey and killing.
However, it should be taken into account that not all domestic cats have the same habits, as their upbringing and routine influence sleep patterns. It is not uncommon to observe that the cat meows at night and wakes up its owners. This is because his sleep pattern has changed, and he needs to expend energy at those times. Still, you shouldn't rule out the possibility of an illness, so if cats' behavior at night is accompanied by other abnormal behaviors, you should visit a veterinarian.
Learn about the most common diseases in cats in this PeritoAnimal article.
how cats see
So how do cats see at night? Is it true that cats see in total darkness? It is possible that you have already seen a bright green tone in the eyes of a cat at night, something we know as tapetum lucidum[2], and which consists of a layer located behind the retina, which reflects the light that enters the eye, making better use of the light in the environment and helping to improve the feline's visibility. This factor explains why cats have better night vision.
The truth is, if you look for more information about cat vision, you'll find that cats can't see in total darkness, but they have much better eyesight than humans, being able to see with only 1/6 of their eyes. light a human needs to see correctly. They have 6 to 8 times more rods that we.
Find out why a cat's eye glows in the dark in this PeritoAnimal article.
