When you look at your purring cat, it always seems like that sleeping is easy. Cats can sleep in many places, even in crazy places. When a cat sleeps, it still looks cute. However, if you have observed your cat more often while sleeping, you may have noticed something. Cats hide (cover) their face when they sleep. This sleeping position is one of the behaviors that virtually all cats do.
Cats hide (cover) their face while they are sleeping for various reasons. Like it gives cats a sense of security, keeps the cat’s nose warm, and to protect the eyes. By hiding their face, cats are feeling safe, and it is a comfortable sleeping position.
This post explains the reasons why cats hide their face when they sleep. After that, this post explains why cats use their paw or tail to hide their face, and you can read more about why cats cover their eyes with their paws when they are sleeping.
Cats Hide Their Face
Cats hide their face to prevent the sun’s rays shining into the cat’s eyes. Another reason why cats hide their face is when they are stretching the body. It is a comfortable and relaxed way to sleep. Cats like to retain their warmth. By hiding (cover) the face with a paw or tail, the nose stays warm and therefore also the rest of the body.
When a cat is lying with its head up and its eyes partially closed, with ears moving occasionally, the cat is half asleep. With deep sleep, the cat has its eyes closed tightly and is usually curled up in a warm place. By a cat, you often see that it hide its face with the paw or tail when it is in a deep sleep. Below I explain the reasons why cats hide their face when they sleep.
Keep the cat’s nose warm
One of the reasons why cats hide their face while they sleep is to keep their nose warm. Cats roll up like a ball, and this is the best way to retain heat. Cats are tightly curled up with their paws underneath them. They wrap a paw or tail around their face, and this position helps to keep the nose warm.
Protect the eyes from the sun’s rays
Cats love the sun, and they are specialists in finding sleeping places where they are” roasted” by the sun. However, if a cat is lying in the sun, it also catches sun rays, and these can be very irritating for cat eyes.
The cat has discovered that it can use the paws or tail to keep the warm sun away from the eyes. When cats try to sleep during the day, it seems that many cats prefer blackout curtains that some people have at home. The cat is then in the shade and does not have to hide the face.
So to protect the eyes from the sun’s rays is also another reason why cats hide their face.
The sense of security
Cats find it very important that they feel safe. They are both prey and predators, and finding a place to sleep that gives them a sense of security is important.
Although your cat may like lying on the floor in the sun, or sleeping in a laundry basket, the feeling of feeling safe is always important. So a cat covers his face because it gets a sense of security.
Some cats like to bury their head in a laundry basket or want to nap with their head under a blanket or laundry. So for some reason, this seems to make it feel perfectly safe even though the rest of the cat body is still in view.
Comfortable sleeping position
Cats have different sleeping positions that are comfortable for them; each cat has its preferences. Some cats liked to stretch their front legs above their heads when sleeping on their stomach or back.
Some cats hide their face with a leg or tail because they find this a comfortable way to sleep. This way is a comfortable way of dealing with the placement of the cat paws.
Finally, when a cat stretches its body, it often covers its face. This behavior happens automatically, and a cat does not think about it.
Why Do Cats Use Their Paw or Tail to Hide Their Face?
Cats use their paw or tail to hide their face because this is an easy way. A cat is flexible and can easily stretch. Covering the face with a leg or tail is a nice way for the cat to relax. The paw or tail is the cat’s own, making it feel safe. A cat also prefers to cover the face with a leg or tail. If you would give your cat a towel, eye mask, or sunglasses, your cat will most likely not be happy with this and would prefer to have its paw or tail to hide the face.
Some cats hide their face and eyes when they sleeping. There are also cats that not only use their paw to hide the face but also use their tail. Maybe an extra sense of security?
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Related question
Why Do Cats Hide (Cover) Their Eyes With Their Paws When They Sleeping?
Cats hide their eyes with their paws when they sleep for basically the same reasons as above. A cat feels safe, it protects the eyes from the sun, it is a comfortable sleeping position, and the cat’s nose stays warm. Each cat has a different sleeping position, so it may be that one cat hides the face with the legs while sleeping, and another cat only hides the eyes while sleeping.
My cats often alternate with hiding their eyes with their paws. When they sleep for a few hours, they sometimes put their paws over their eyes, and half an hour later, they put their tails over their faces. It just depends on where they sleep, how they feel, and what they find a good place to sleep. It always looks cute again.
Why Do Cats Sleep in Unusual Places?
Cats can choose to sleep in a lot of interesting places around the house. Cats can sleep anywhere they choose. Usually, cats prefer a safe spot and the most comfortable place they can find. Cats like to feel sometimes that they are hiding away. Want to know more about Why Do Cats Sleep in Unusual Places? Then you can read this blog post that I have written about why do cats sleep in unusual places.
