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Why does my cat prefer sleeping on the floor?

If your cat prefers sleeping on the floor, this post will show you why and what you can do about it.

So, why does my cat prefer sleeping on the floor? Possible reasons why your cat prefers sleeping on the floor are that it finds the floor more comfortable, the floor is cooler, or that there are problems with the alternatives.

There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat has been doing it and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

Reasons why your cat sleeps on the floor

Below are likely reasons why your cat has been doing it and what would make them more likely.

It finds the floor more comfortable

It might be the case that it does it because it finds it more comfortable on the floor. This would be more likely if it has tried sleeping in its bed or higher up before but it didn’t go back to doing it. It would also be more likely if there are alternative places for it to sleep but it chooses not to sleep there.

The floor is cooler

The reason why it might choose to sleep on the floor could be that the floor is cooler. This would be more likely if your floor is made of wood and if the room it sleeps in is hot at night and during the day. It would also be more likely if your cat doesn’t choose to sleep there when the weather is cooler.

There are problems with the alternative places to sleep

It could also be the case that there are problems with the alternative places for it to sleep. It is not uncommon for cats to prefer to sleep high up. If your cat doesn’t sleep in high spots, it could be because there is not space for it or because it has learned that you do not like it to sleep high up. However, if it does have access to a cat bed, it would be likely that it finds the floor more comfortable.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.

If your cat has always slept on the floor

If your cat did not always sleep on the floor, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to things such as the weather getting hotter or a change in its environment.

What is different when your cat does not sleep on the floor

It would also help to consider whether or not it does sleep in its bed sometimes.

If it does sleep in its bed sometimes it could be that it chooses to sleep on the floor when the temperature in the room is high.

What to do about your cat sleeping on the floor

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Give it another place to sleep

If your cat has not got alternative places to sleep, it would help to give it access to alternative places to sleep. One option would be to put a cat bed where you would like your cat to sleep.

Let it do it

If your cat has not been acting unusually in other ways, it would be likely that your cat has been doing it due to finding the floor most comfortable. In this case, the easiest option would be to just allow your cat to continue doing it.