Kitten sleep is a a magical thing to witness...newborn kittens, like newborn babies, do two things: eat, and sleep! In fact, kittens sleep for more than 16 hours each day!

The purpose of eating is obvious, but why do kittens sleep so much? Kittens actually need sleep to develop properly. Sufficient sleep is essential for the development of the brain, nervous system, muscle and bones.

In fact, it is quite bad to interrupt sleeping kittens...which often raises a difficult question of when is the best time to weigh them, since, if they are not sleeping they are usually eating, and it is not good to interrupt them when they are doing either activity! We tend to wait until they have just finished feeding, or when their mother is giving them a bath, and then quickly dive in and weigh them all!  

Kitten sleep patterns by age:

Newborn kitten sleep pattern

Newborn kittens will sleep for around 20 hours a day! Kittens will often twitch slightly as they sleep because they are in REM sleep. They will need to stay close to their mother to make sure that they stay warm, because they cannot regulate their own body temperature yet.

Two week old kitten sleep pattern

Sleep is now deeper, and your kitten will be more active, sleeping a little less.

Two month old kitten sleep pattern

After two months old your kitten’s sleeping pattern will be very similar to an adult cat’s: she will spend more time awake, adventuring, and around 16 hours sleeping and cat-napping.

Kitten sleep environment

Kittens will sleep almost anywhere, but make sure wherever they are is a safe place for them. If you have given them a cat nest made from a box, make sure the box does not have any metal staples or sharp bits in it. Also make sure that they are in a warm, secure place that is free from cold draughts.