Often when cats are sleeping, they curl up with their paws over their faces. If you’ve ever wondered Why Do Cats Cover Their Face When They Sleep? , here’s the answer.
There are two reasons for this behavior:
the first is that it protects the cat’s eyes from dryness and damage caused by debris flying around while they’re asleep;
the second reason is that it can help to keep them cool. Cats don’t sweat easily, so instead, they pant to regulate their body heat – rubbing your cat’s fur the wrong way can cause them to overheat – but covering their faces means more of the air around them is humidified, which makes it easier for them to stay cool.
It isn’t unusual for cats who sleep with their paws over their faces to forget and do so while they’re awake. If you’ve ever woken up with a cat lying on your face, that’s why!
Some cats who sleep with their paws over their eyes will wake up looking cross-eyed for a few seconds – this is because the fur around their eyes has been flattened while they were asleep and needs to be puffed out before it goes back to normal.
A lot of people think that when cats cover their faces like this, it means they don’t like you, but this isn’t true at all it could not be further from the truth. Your cat may act grumpy if you try to move them or disturb them when they are sleeping, but it doesn’t mean they don’t love you!
It’s good to know why cats do this because it can be difficult to understand their behavior sometimes. When you think about why your cat does something, it might help you interpret what they’re trying to say a little better…