26.03.2024

Is your kitten sleeping a lot? How to check whether they’re lazy or suffering!

Being a kitten parent can be rewarding and challenging at the same time. Kittens are adorable and fun to be around, but you are also responsible for their training, growth, and general well-being. It is essential to be aware of their eating, sleeping, and pooing habits to ensure their development is in line with their age.

Every cat is different, but most felines—especially kittens—spend a bigger part of their day curled up on the couch (or your bed) sleeping. Abnormal sleeping patterns, like lethargy and insomnia, can be caused by boredom, dietary changes, upset stomach, or food poisoning. The lack of energy can also come from an inadequate meal plan.

Whether your kitten prefers dry, wet, or semi-moist food, they must get proper nutrition in the first year of their life to develop into strong, happy, and resilient felines. If your kitten is sleeping a lot and always seems exhausted, you should look into it immediately to find the cause and prevent severe problems typical for such a fragile period.

Kittens eating and sleeping behaviour 101

“I’m watching every move you make, hooman!”

Source: Omar Ramadan

Before you start fretting about your kitten’s eating and sleeping behaviour, let’s learn the basics. Baby cats need high-quality food and plenty of rest to grow and develop properly. During early kittenhood, they won’t be doing much besides eating and sleeping, so monitoring them shouldn’t be too difficult.

How much sleep do kittens need per day?

A cat’s favourite hobby, especially during their first week, is sleeping. Baby felines spend most of their day cycling between light and deep sleep, preserving their energy to:

1. Develop their organs
2. Strengthen their muscles, bones, and immune system

Kittens usually snooze up to 22 hours a day. Similar to a newborn baby, the younger the kitten, the more they will sleep. As they grow older, their sleeping habits change, but they still spend most of their day in slumber. Here is a quick breakdown of how much a kitten is supposed to sleep based on their age:

What does a kitten’s eating schedule look like?

A kitten’s diet consists of mother’s milk or commercial formula for the first three to four weeks. Once they are about a month old, you can introduce wet kitten food. After a few weeks, you can add dry kitten food as a supplement. Avoid giving too much dry food since it has zero moisture, which can lead to dehydration, UTIs, and kidney infections. The best ingredients in cat food include:

• Fish and seafood (tuna, sardines, mackerel, prawns, shrimp, and salmon)
• Cooked chicken, turkey, or duck

Some kittens might start eating grass and tiny pieces of specific vegetables as they help with digestion and prevent constipation.

A weaned-off kitten should be fed ¼ to ½ cup of top-notch cat food every two to four hours.

Kitten sleeping all day? Common causes explained

I need to rest my eyes for just a bit, pleeease!

Source: Karin S

A kitten spends almost 90% of the day snoozing, but they also tend to rest with their eyes closed, which isn’t a cause for concern. If they sleep all day and wake up exhausted or disoriented, you should act immediately, especially in case they also seem disinterested in food. Here are some common reasons why your furry friend appears to be tired despite their prolonged resting periods:

• Conserving energy—Cats are predators by nature, so they sleep a lot to save energy for hunting sprees
• Developmental leaps—Kittens need more sleep when going through specific growth and developmental spurts
• Lack of nutritious food—Kittens need plenty of healthy calories in the early weeks of their life to build up extra strength. An imbalanced diet may cause lethargy and drowsiness
• Overfeeding—Giving too much cat food to your pet might result in weight gain and longer periods of sleep
• Weather—Seasons affect your feline’s sleeping patterns significantly. Kittens tend to sleep more during the winter or rainy months
• Boredom—Cats tend to sleep more if they have nothing to do. You can increase your kitten’s activity levels by engaging them in playtime with interactive toys
• Dehydration—Cats are not avid water drinkers, so they rely on their food to get enough moisture. It’s crucial to give wet food to weaned-off kittens to keep them hydrated and healthy 

It may seem like too much work, but the above-mentioned issues are easily fixable. Simple changes to a kitten’s routine can help them boost their energy.

Kitten always sleeping–when to ask your vet for help

Lethargy in kittens can be a sign of a serious health condition, so don’t hesitate to visit your vet and ask for a professional opinion. Check out why in the table below:

Should I try to keep my kitten awake?

The tug of war starts now!

Source: Arina Krasnikova

If your cat is healthy and does not require any medical attention but still sleeps a lot, chances are that they are lazy. You shouldn’t disrupt their natural behaviour, but it’s advisable to increase their activity levels because a sedentary lifestyle isn’t healthy. Here’s what you can do to inspire your kitten to be more active:

• Use interactive toys like a laser pointer to keep them interested and increase stimulation
• Add exercise to their daily routine with you as an active participant
• Serve only high-protein cat food

How can a dietary change help with my kitten's drowsiness?

To ensure that your kitten has all the nutrients they need for adequate growth and development, their diet should be based on:

1. Animal protein
2. Animal fat
3. Vitamins and minerals

Grains, sugar, vegetables, and fruits should not be a part of your kitten’s meal plan because they contain carbs, which are useless for your kitty. Empty calories can only contribute to lethargy and cause weight gain.

Animal protein

Animal protein is the primary energy source for cats because they are hard-wired carnivores. It delivers essential amino acids (taurine and arginine) felines need to:

• Build muscles and bones
• Maintain their fur
• Develop and sustain their organs

The biological value (BV) of a protein determines how efficiently your feline can break it down. The most common protein sources in cat food are as follows:

Kitten food should contain at least 50% animal protein with a BV of 90% or more to ensure your furry friend gets a high-protein, well-balanced meal.

Animal fat

Animal fat makes cat food delicious and delivers healthy fatty acids kittens need to develop their immune system, fight infections, and heal properly if injured. You should keep the amount under 20% of their daily food intake because too much fat can lead to obesity and other health issues.

Have a tired kitten on your hands? Let them go Untamed

Untamed is the most nutritious cat food to prevent exhaustion and fatigue in your feline.

Image (c) Untamed

To get your kitten back to their playful self, serve them Untamed, and they’ll be happy and healthy. Our vet-formulated recipes, top-quality ingredients, and the irresistible taste of our meals make even fussy eaters go wild for Untamed.

We don’t use the following in our food:

• Allergens
• Artificial additives
• Flavour enhancers
• Colourants
• Meat derivatives

Untamed cooperates with sustainable suppliers because we believe in ethical cat-food production. The packaging is 100% recyclable, and our business is carbon footprint neutral.

Do you want your kitten to have a healthy and balanced diet to prevent exhaustion and fatigue? Try Untamed today!

How to get Untamed for your kitten the easy way

Introducing your furry little friend to Untamed’s yummy gravies and jellies is a straightforward process—here’s what you need to do:

1. Answer a few questions about your kitty
2. Customise the meal plan
3. Order a trial pack

Once your kitten chooses their favourite delicacies, you can subscribe to monthly deliveries online and get a fresh batch every month. You can also get a tailor-made meal plan according to your furry friend’s unique requirements.

Our customers say that you can expect the following benefits after switching your feline companion to Untamed: