Your cat stares at you intently while you sleep.
She may be passive, or she may be aggressive. Some cats will paw at you or bite you if they aren’t comfortable.
Cats aren’t the only ones who stare at you. Your cat may anxiously await your coming each day.
So, why does my cat stare at me while I sleep? Many people wonder if cats actually sleep.
Well, cats do sleep, but not as much as dogs. Cats sleep around 16 hours a day.
However, they still spend a considerable amount of time awake.
Cats don’t blink more than humans while they’re awake, but they do glare and stare.
Cats stare and glare at people to get their attention. Cats do this when they want food, affection, or just company.
Cats also stare at people when they want them to do something.
For example, cats are territorial and will stare at you when you try to pet them.
These stares can be annoying, but cats do them because they care about you.
Let’s dive in.
Why Does My Cat Stare At Me While I Sleep?
Kitty Is Terrified.
Often, if she is afraid of anything, she’ll gaze at you to warn you of a potential threat nearby while she sleeps. This behavior is called “displacement activity.”
A displacement activity is any behavior that displaces a fearful response in your cat like biting her paws or rolling on her back to scratch herself until she bleeds.
The cat isn’t focused on anything else but the threat, so she just stares at you until it’s over or goes away completely.
A loud sound, meeting new people, strangers coming into your home and changes in routine can all cause a cat to become anxious and scared.
Love
Just like people may look at someone they love when they are stressed, cats do the same thing with their owners.
They could like n you to a parent who comforts them when they’re afraid so instead of lashing out at others they focus on you instead.
They may feel secure resting next to you, knowing you will protect them from whatever threat is causing them stress.
Anxiety
Cats, unfortunately, are a lot like humans when it comes to anxiety attacks and depression.
They are vulnerable to the same emotions that humans experience.
When anxious, many cats may try to hide from you by curling up in a corner or under the bed.
Even if you’re asleep, your anxiety may wake you up enough to see your feline friend hiding in the corner of the room staring at you with concern in her eyes.
This is their way of telling you they are scared and need reassurance that everything is okay.
Bored
Your cat may not be in the mood of playing or even petting her while you’re awake.
So, She gets the chance to relax she’s either going to fall asleep or do her best impression of sleeping while staring at you with her big blue eyes wide open.
She may even purr a little to let you know she is happy to have your attention even if it’s just for a little while.
This is a way for her to let you know she’s bored and would like some attention, but doesn’t want you to wake her up from her favorite position on the floor next to the fireplace.
This in-between zone, with you not giving her any attention at all, is uncomfortable for her and may cause her to act out or run away if she’s had enough.
Your Sleep Position
If you’re the kind of person who sleeps on your back with your arms down by your sides, then chances are good that your cat likes to be in this position too.
Strange noises, such as heavy snores, may disturb her and cause her to run under the bed and hide until you’re asleep again.
Your Cat is Annoyed
Your cat may be staring at you with her eyebrows raised and ears flat against her head.
They may be perplexed as to why you’re acting so strange.
Hunger
Hunger is one of the most common reasons you may wake up to see your cat staring directly at your face with her big eyes wide open.
She wants food! This usually happens when you wake up in the morning before you’ve had breakfast and are headed straight for the kitchen to brew yourself a cup of coffee and start a pot of coffee.
If your cat knows you’re hungry she will meow incessantly until you give her something to eat.
If you ignore her then she will start nudging you with her nose to get you to move, so she can get closer and begin purring loudly to get your attention.
If you find your cat consistently waking you up in the morning to feed her, then you need to rethink your morning routine.
Close Relationship
Cats are innately attentive to nonverbal communication, and if you have a close relationship with them they’ll notice when you are upset.
They won’t understand why you are upset, but they will know that something is wrong with you and they will try to comfort you in any way they can.
This means they may try to cuddle with you in hopes it will cheer you up; however, this doesn’t work for everyone.
You may find that you’re upset with them for trying to cuddle with you, which will cause them to be even more upset.
Their attempts to comfort you are part of their natural instinct to be close to you.
How to Keep Your Cat From Staring at You While You Sleep?
Cats like staring at their owners while they sleep because they sometimes associate their owners with predators.
If you sleep with your head facing the ceiling, your cat will begin staring at you because it associates this posture with being hunted by a large animal.
To avoid being stared at by your cat, try sleeping with your head facing the wall instead.
You can also make your cat lose interest in staring at you by rubbing its belly in the middle of the night.
This will make it associate you with a food source and no longer want to stare at you while you sleep.
What Makes Your Cat Wide awake at Night?
Cats are known for being nocturnal creatures.
This means that they’re most active at night and sleep during the day. However, cats can stay awake at night for different reasons.
For example, if your cat is in pain, it can stay awake at night to nurse its wounds.
Furthermore, if your cat is stressed or anxious, it can also stay awake at night.
Finally, if your cat is ill or depressed, it can also stay up all night.
Of course, if your cat is sick or injured, you should visit the vet as soon as possible.
Also Read: Why Is Cat Sleeping In Closet?
Conclusion
Our cats may look at us like we’re crazy when we ask them to go to bed when we’re tired too.
However, none of our feline friends enjoy sleeping any more than we do.
Most of the time, our kitties are waiting for us to wake up so they can play with us again.
It’s also conceivable that your cat is bothered by a noise that keeps him awake all night.
In most circumstances, determining why your kitty won’t sleep can be solved with a little effort on your part and by implementing a few tricks to get your pet to sleep again.
You can’t or won’t force your cat stop, but you can make it more comfortable for him to sleep through the night.
Staring is usually simply a behavior associated with excitement, so you shouldn’t worry too much about it unless it starts to become a problem for you.