It might be that you have never given much thought to whether your Russian Blue is getting enough sleep. This might be because your Russian Blue has been acting the same, until recently. Is your Russian Blue suddenly scratching your bedroom door in the middle of the night? Or is he or she meowing away in the middle of the day, when it is usually quiet?
There could be many reasons why your Russian Blue is not sleeping as much as he or she used to. However, before you look at those reasons, there are ways of figuring out whether your Russian Blue is getting enough sleep. This involves things like identifying the symptoms of sleep deprivation, identifying illnesses that may be causing your cat to lose sleep, and more.
Hence, let us first look at how much sleep your Russian Blue kitten or cat needs. Then, we can move on to figuring out whether your Russian Blue is getting enough sleep!
How Much Sleep Does Russian Blue Need?
Before you understand how many hours of sleep is actually required by your Russian Blue to remain healthy, you need to make note of how old he or she is.
For instance, a Russian Blue’s lifespan on average is 10-20 years. Hence, if your Russian Blue is over 10 years old, then they are considered old, and will probably require more naps throughout the day and at night. And the same goes for Russian Blue kittens too. In fact, newborn kittens may even sleep 24/7!
However, when it comes to Russian Blue cats that are between 7-8 months old to 10 years old, they should be getting a decent amount of sleep to remain healthy! And this amount usually lies between 13 – 16 hours of sleep in a day, which is about 50 to 70 percent of the day.
Furthermore, if you have a daytime job like most people, then it might be difficult to monitor your cat’s sleep schedule during the daytime. Hence, you can always opt to monitor your cat’s nighttime sleeping habits.
Again, keep in mind that if your Russian Blue is older than 10 years then they might sleep more (around 80 percent of the day) than a Russian Blue who is less than 10 years.
Hence, below I have listed three ways by which you can figure out whether your Russian Blue is getting enough sleep.
3 Ways to Know if your Russian Blue is Getting Enough Sleep
Figuring out whether your Russian Blue is getting enough sleep can be very useful in determining whether something is not as it should be with your cat’s health. Hence, below are some of the ways you can tell if your cat is getting enough sleep and how much sleep does Russian Blue need.
1. Identifying Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
There are some very telling signs of sleep deprivation in your cat. For example, restless behavior in your Russian Blue shows that something is not right. This will be especially obvious in your Russian Blue because they are known for being elegant and playful at all times.
Furthermore, with closer observation, you may notice that your Russian Blue is also exhibiting signs of irritability and confusion. You may also notice that your cat is looking for places to sleep during the daytime. Hence, if any of these signs show, it means that your cat needs more rest.
2. Identifying Illnesses that Could Be Keeping your Russian Blue from Sleeping
Sleep disorders are a grave possibility in your Russian Blue. Hence, keeping an eye out for the following signs of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy, could help you figure out what to do next.
Sleep apnea or similar sleep disorders could cause your Russian Blue to become sluggish or noticeably lazy. Hence, if your otherwise energetic and playful Russian Blue is now lazing around and has very low energy levels during the daytime, it is time to look into the reason behind it!
On the other hand, if your Russian Blue is suddenly falling into a deep sleep, anywhere from a couple of seconds to 30 minutes, it could be a sign of narcolepsy.
Furthermore, another sign that your Russian Blue may be suffering from a disease that is causing him or her to lose sleep is excessive meowing. This could be your cat’s way of vocalizing that he or she is in pain due to an infection, or a disease like arthritis, etc.
Hence, in case of sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or any other sleep disorders, or even excessive meowing, the best course of action is to consult a reputable vet. Your vet will be the best person to give you advice on how any of the aforementioned issues can be best dealt with.
3. Determining Whether your Russian Blue is Getting Enough Exercise
Once you have ruled out symptoms of sleep deprivation and signs of sleep disorders, you can move on to the easiest step. The easiest way to determine whether your Russian Blue is getting enough sleep is to determine whether he or she is getting enough exercise.
All you need to do here is to note how much time your cat spends “playing” a.k.a. exercising. A good rule of thumb here is to make sure that your cat gets at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. However, if you are unable to allot this time to play with your cat, you can use other methods/products. For more information on this, you can refer to the section below headed, “Products to Improve your Russian Blue’s Sleeping Habits”.
Hence, if your cat is not getting enough exercise during the daytime, it may be a good reason why he or she cannot sleep at night!
Factors That Might Be Affecting Your Russian Blue’s Sleep
As mentioned above, your Russian Blue could be having trouble sleeping for many reasons. The most obvious reasons are due to lack of exercise and sleep disorders. But there are two more reasons that you may not have considered just yet.
1. Age
A noteworthy thing here is that as your Russian Blue gets older he or she will become less active and will also start sleeping more. There is no cause for concern here unless your cat starts acting restless or shows other unusual signs of illness.
Hence, if your very young or very old cat starts sleeping less than 15 hours every day you need to look into what is causing this to happen. However, if your adult Russian Blue is sleeping less than 16 hours but is showing no other signs of illness or restlessness, then there is no cause for concern!
2. Medication
When it comes to medication, they usually have side effects. Hence, when it comes to medication for your Russian Blue, it could have side effects too, which could include affecting your pet’s sleep.
Therefore, if your Blue’s sleeping habits change upon giving him or her a certain medicine, then you need to check with your vet. This will enable you to confirm that it is the right dosage or that the side effect is harmless!
What Can Be Done So That Your Russian Blue Gets Enough Sleep?
There are a few things that can be done by you, as your Russian Blue’s caretaker, to help your cat fall asleep easily. This will not only keep your Blue’s health in check but will also enable you to get your rest too.
1. Help your Russian Blue Expand Its Energy
As mentioned earlier, your Russian Blue needs at least 30 minutes of physical exercise every day. Hence, if you have the time, make sure that you play with your Blue for at least 30 minutes every day. If you cannot set aside this chunk of time at once, you can always break it up into 10 minutes three times a day, or 15 minutes twice a day, or such.
However, you need to ensure that your Blue is getting enough exercise every day. This is not just about getting him or her to sleep throughout the night, it is also about keeping your Blue fit. Hence, if you can, invest in some cat toys and you will be able to make playtime even more engaging and fun! For more information on the best toys for Russian Blues, refer to the article, “What is the Best Toy for your Russian Blue”.
2. Feed your Russian Blue a Big Meal Before Bedtime
A simple yet effective solution is to feed your Russian Blue a big meal before bedtime. This is a sure-fire way of making your Blue feel sleepy and I promise that it will work every time.
However, since obesity is an extremely common problem amongst cats, you will need to make sure that you adjust the size of the other meals if you plan to employ this method. For instance, you can reduce the amount of food you feed your Blue in the morning if you plan on giving your Blue a huge meal that same night.
Products to Improve your Russian Blue’s Sleeping Habits
The following products may help you to improve your Russian Blue’s sleeping habits.
1. Cat Tower
Amazon Buy link: Cat Tower
Russian Blues like places that provide them with a sense of safety. They especially like spots that they have to climb onto and spaces that are snug. Hence, the best solution for this is to get your Russian Blue a cozy little cat tower.
Furthermore, to make it even cozier, you can add a blanket to the cat tower or any other favorite spot that your Russian Blue likes. This will enable your cute little pet to fall asleep quicker and have a better sleep.
2. Pet Feeder
Amazon Buy Link: Pet Feeder
A common reason why your Russian Blue might be up at night, and keeping you up too is because he or she is hungry. Hence, if you invest in an automatic pet feeder, which can basically do your job of feeding your cat, then your cat will not be disturbing your much-needed sleep!
Moreover, there are plenty of automatic pet feeders in the market, which you can purchase for your Blue. For instance, there are some pet feeders that dispense customized amounts of food up to 12 times a day, over a scheduled time period. With such food dispensers, you and your cat will get all the sleep you need!
3. Interactive Toys
Amazon Buy Link: Interactive Toy
Russian Blues are very intelligent cats. This means that they require a lot of mental stimulation to keep them satisfied. Hence, providing them with enough interactive toys to keep them not only physically active but also mentally active is a great way to ensure that they are fully entertained throughout the day.
Furthermore, if they are mentally and physically tucked out by the end of the day, it means that your Blue will most likely fall asleep right away. And it also means that you do not need to be around the whole day, to play with your Blue to ensure that he or she is getting the necessary physical/mental exercise. Hence, investing in such interactive toys is a great option, especially if you do not have a lot of time that you can set aside for your pet.
Why is Sleep Important to Russian Blues?
This question has an interesting answer.
Russian Blues, or all cats for that matter, love to sleep anywhere from 50 – 70% of the day. This is not because they are lazier than other house pets, it is because sleeping is instinctual.
This basically means that their wild ancestors have ingrained the instinct in your Russian Blue pet to sleep throughout most of the day so that they have enough energy to hunt, chase, and kill their next meal. Hence, although you are providing your Russian Blue with every meal, their instinct will not just go away!
Final Words
In conclusion, your adult Russian Blue will, on average, need to sleep for 50 – 70% of the day. However, if your Russian Blue is still only a few weeks or months old, then most of their day will be spent sleeping rather than staying awake. And the same goes for senior Russian Blues (over the age of 10 years) too!
Hence, if your Russian Blue’s age and sleeping habits do not match, and your pet is showing some worrying signs, then it may be time to make a quick visit to the vet’s clinic.
