How Do Cats Choose Their Favorite Person To Sleep With?
There are several motivators for how cats choose specific people to nap with; let’s examine them in detail.
- The Primary Carer
Many cats gravitate towards snoozing with their primary carer, who understands species-appropriate behavior, regularly feeds their meals, provides their daily needs, and takes them out for harness and leash walks. They also like to slumber with a companion that spends time engaging in predatory behavior through play and gives them undivided attention.
- The Person That Offers Protection
When a cat feels safe and secure, they are able to relax. Safety and security are paramount to felines since, in the wild, they are both predators and prey. A cat will choose to nap up high on the bed with the person they feel most protected with. The risk of attack while they are asleep represents a severe survival threat.
- The Individual They Are Bonded With or Attached To
Naturally, cats develop strong attachments to people like children, though cats get attached to one individual for their entire life. A bonded cat will follow their favored human, solicit attention or sleep on them any chance they get as a security blanket.
- The Human That Provides Them With Warmth
Cats crave warmth since they descended from the desert and need heat for survival.
Warmth is also vital as newborn kittens lose heat very rapidly. The queen uses her body heat to keep her offspring warm, while kittens regularly huddle together to regulate their body temperature until they are a few months older.
Similarly, your adult cat will seek out the person they can lay or snuggle with that will produce the most body heat and security. Sleeping beside you, next to you, or on top of your head is a sure way to generate direct heat.
- The Companion That Smells Familiar
Felines are explorative animals that use their sense of smell to decipher whether they are pleasant or aversive, of relevance or not. Since cats can recognize people by their scent, they may want to facial rub and doze off next to a familiar person to maintain social cohesion and mark their territory.
- The Caregiver That Provides Reassurance During Bouts of Anxiety
A highly distressed or confused cat may choose to rest or sleep next to a caregiver that comforts them during bouts of anxiety through gentle stroking and touch.
Likewise, a cat with moderate or severe separation anxiety will curl up on the couch or bed next to the person they are firmly attached to during catnapping sessions.
A cat instinctively wants to sleep with the person they have a strong connection to. Cats get attached to one person and usually gravitate towards a primary carer who feeds them, plays with them, and provides them with much attention.
Reference: https://cats.com/how-do-cats-choose-who-to-sleep-with
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