Why Do Cats Get In Your Face While You Sleep. Cats get in our faces because they need us. Cats sleep literally anywhere and have even been known to sleep with dogs, so don’t be surprised if you find your cat fast asleep on your dog.
Although cats may not seem needy they actually do seek attention and affection from humans. You’ll notice that as soon as she’s awake, your cat will immediately come to check up on you this way she can make sure everything is just right in her world.
So if there’s one thing we’ve learned about these curious felines it’s that cats require a lot of attention but won’t necessarily ASK for it.
Why Do Cats Get In Your Face While You Sleep
It’s common for many people to wake up to an adorable cat in their face! It can be a tad bit annoying and disruptive, but it is also very sweet and endearing too. This strange behavior got me thinking though: Is your cat trying to tell you something? Why do cats get in your face when you sleep? As it turns out, it’s actually a great sign that you’re being an excellent cat parent. Cats seek the warmth, security, and attention of their owners. They are essentially doing this as a sign of affection.
Comfort
Cats love a good comfortable place to sleep, and there are a lot of ways they can get that. Finding you to be safe and well-rested is enough for them because of their great sense of smell.
You might wonder what it’s like to have such a great sense of smell, but compared to your cat it’s quite underdeveloped with over 200 million olfactory receptors in its nose, your cat has 14x the smelling power you do!
And because your kitty knows its home so well, it recognizes which places are comforting and comfortable by scent. Because sleeping near its favorite human is something it certainly prefers over any other location.
Affection
Your cat might be showing affection when it invades your sleep time by getting in your bed and getting under the covers.
Waking up from a nice dream with a furry cat right in your face, or worse at your feet, with an open mouth dripping saliva wasn’t what you had in mind before going back to sleep. But remember that your kitty is showing love in its own way.
Security
Cats are clingy creatures in the wild, and they often seek out a safe place to bond with. In the home, these are usually their human companions.
“A cat’s first instinct is to make sure it’s safe,” says Dr. Zay Satchu, Chief Veterinary Officer of Bond Vet in New York City. “Being around their humans, they can rest easier knowing there is some safety there.”
It’s important that you make your kitty feel like he’s safe at all times. This way, he’ll trust you more and feel more comfortable being more affectionate over time.
Disruption
Sleeping outright at the top of the bed is most comfortable for some people. It means that you can avoid all those annoying incidents of being chased by pets who want to sleep with you but don’t like falling off the end of your mattress in the middle of the night.
If you have animals, then it’s definitely better for them if they know that they won’t be accidentally kicked off or have their tails stepped on while they are sleeping peacefully.
Plus they are less likely to get eaten by small children who like to sneak into bed with parents who have cats and dogs nearby.
Marking Ownership
Cats will often roll around in catnip, marking their territory and making sure the area that it lives in still contains their scent.
That’s why you might find catnip floating around in odd places like under the refrigerator or somewhere on the counter in your kitchen.
Cats will also rub against people to mark their person as part of their territory so that other cats don’t come along and try to take over.
The best way to keep your kitty happy during this time is to make sure it has plenty of cat toys around so that you can play with them together for fun.
Final Thoughts
Cats have various reasons or motivations for doing the things they do. If your cat is meowing insistently in your face, it’s likely because he wants something. However, if they’re sleeping on your face at night this could be due to a variety of different factors. It could be because they want warmth, comfort, or security; similar to how dogs cuddle up with their masters in the hopes of receiving protection from them. They may also love your scent or are trying to mark you with their own; just as when someone puts his hand on top of yours when shaking it.