Can Cats Suffer from Sleep Disorders?

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Sleep disorders are something that many human beings suffer from.  This kind of disorder can affect the overall health of the sufferer.  But do animals like cats suffer from this type of disorders?  The answer to this question is yes, felines do suffer from sleep disorders.  Below are some of the usual sleep disorders in cats.

Restlessness or Insomnia

Though cats love to sleep, there are some that gets restless at night.  Most of these cats wake up in the middle of the night and do things they usually do during daytime such as playing, roaming around, and even try to play with you.  While cats’ nocturnal nature causes them to wake up a few times at night, waking up more often and for a long period of time is not part of it.  Restlessness in cats can also carry over to daytime and your cat won’t be able to get any rest day or night.

So if you noticed your cat gets restless at night especially if they are crying or meowing, take your cat to the vet for a check up to determine the cause of its restlessness.

Sleep Apnea

During a deep REM sleep, humans and animals breathing temporarily stops and it’s a normal respiratory process.  But often and extended stop in breathing (apnea) can post danger to your health, makes the sufferer lethargic during daytime and it can also lead to death.

Most of the time, sleep apnea is progressive.  This means the sufferers’ sleeping behavior pattern progresses as the time goes by.  Loud snoring is its most common sign.  Gasping for breath and spasms in the diaphragm are also signs of sleep apnea.

In cats, the breed that mostly suffers from sleep apnea is the Persian Cats because of their short muzzles made them vulnerable to any breathing problems.  Also, cats that are overweight have a greater risk to develop this disorder.

Narcolepsy

A type of disorder that makes sufferers experience sudden sleepiness or collapse and becomes unconscious.  Your feline friend might collapse for a few minutes then get up by itself and continue its daily routine like nothing happened.   Although it’s not a dangerous disorder, it can sure cause you to get scared and worry especially if you don’t know what’s going on with your cat.  Remember to have your vet evaluate your cat once you noticed signs of Narcolepsy because its symptoms are also very similar to other health problems such as heart disease and diabetes and epilepsy.

Image via Ella Mullins at Flickr.com

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