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Animals like
to catch more than 40 winks
May 24, 2007
A friend recently commented on how much her two Jack Russell terriers
sleep. She estimates that they probably average about 17 hours of sleep
a day. They're typical high-energy dogs, but they value their sleep time
as much as they do their playtime.
On occasion, when she's returned home in the middle of the day
unexpectedly, she finds them sound asleep and almost feels as if she is
intruding on their time. They greet her with an expression as if to say,
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Holidays often bring the same reaction. After a day or two of having the
humans home, the Jack Russells start to wonder why Mom and Dad are
interrupting their routine and encroaching on their sleep time.
For any pet owner, whether you have dogs or cats, that's a very familiar
scenario.
Routine plays a big part in the patterns developed in the animal-human
bond. Our pets depend on the routines they develop, and sleeping is a
large part of that routine.
Many times, I've wished I could drift off into dreamland as frequently
as my pets do. I know all too well when my pit bull Lola is about to
enter into blissful reverie. She takes a deep sigh, rolls onto her back
and she's out for the count.
My cat, Sylvie, finds stretching along the edge of the bed the best
lullaby -- so close to the edge, in fact, that I'm amazed she never
rolls off.
It's estimated that cats sleep an average of 16 hours a day, which ends
up being about two thirds of their lifetime. It's fascinating to learn
that their sleeping patterns don't always indicate that they're tired or
lazy, but rather that they are energetic. That may sound like reverse
physics, but they are often using sleep to revive their engine, so to
speak.
If you've observed the high energy level of a Jack Russell terrier, then
my friend's observations about her dogs are right on. For us cat lovers,
we've all observed a feline suddenly dash toward imaginary things,
moving at warp speed. Imagine the energy it takes to do that.
Another factor is how deeply they are sleeping. They do experience REM
(rapid eye movement) sleep, but often not as frequently as we do.
We've observed our dogs when we think they are sleeping and they
suddenly jump up at the sound of a noise. Their sleep patterns consist
of more interruptions and breaks, so it stands to reason that their
sleep time will be longer than ours.
If you notice any unusual sleeping patterns with your furred friend --
something out of their normal routine -- it's important to be mindful of
any changes that could signal something of a medical origin. But
generally, long periods of sleep are a normal part of our four-legged
family members active lives.
- Gloria
Dauphin
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