To sleep, perchance to dream.
According to research on the interweb, cats sleep 99.98% of the day.
Sleeping is important for cats, just like it is for hoomans, because it allows them to dream. If cats don't dream, they develop quirky, unpredictable behavior, like suddenly deciding that their tail is the enemy or believing gravity has been reversed.
When you watch your cat sleeping, you can tell when she is dreaming by the vocal sounds she makes. Purring means that your kitty is dreaming of snuggling or evisceration, a flicking tail means that your kitty is dreaming of sleeping or evisceration, and a low growl means that your kitty is dreaming of hunting and evisceration. Some cats have been known to make chirping frog-like noises that sound like a smurf screaming the word "beer!" This is not normal.
Unlike dogs or hoomans, cats can spend many hours sleeping relatively lightly. If you try to wake that sleeping cat, he can turn immediately from being deep asleep to lodged, claws out, in your windpipe in a matter of seconds. You can often see the cat sit with its eyes half closed, or even wide open, enjoying a short nap.
The only time that no cats sleep is between 3:13 and 3:15 in the morning. This is a time known to many cat scientists as "cat panic." During this time most cats feel the overwhelming urge to sit on a hooman face or to eat the entire sofa. Sometimes both at once. (for more information, google "cat-induced sleep apnea fatality")
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