A newborn kitten needs a lot of sleep and nutrition. It helps them to build their immune system and helps them to grow faster. A newborn kitten will eat every 2 to 4 hours and will go to sleep right after eating.
But when a kitten reaches 5 months old, its sleeping pattern changes. So if you have a 5-month-old kitten, you might be wondering, how much do 5-month-old kittens sleep?
I did a little reach on this topic and here’s what I found
How much do 5 month old kittens sleep? A kitten becomes more active when they reach 5 months old. As a result, their sleeping time gets reduced quite a bit, but still, they manage to sleep 16 to 18 hours a day. Sleeping is essential for kittens for the correct development of their growth, brain function, and immune system.
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Growth hormone is released when a kitten is in the deepest state of its sleep. 5-month-old kitten does not sleep more than adults, but they do sleep more deeply than adult cats.
Also, read my recent article on should you keep a light on your kitten at night while they are sleeping.
How much sleep is normal for 5 month old kittens?
If a kitten sleeps anywhere between 12 to 18 hours a day, it is considered normal. A five-month-old kitten needs to sleep at least 12 hours a day to keep healthy. Less than 12 hours of sleep may indicate underline health problems in kittens.
The following table represents the average sleeping time of a kitten by age:
| Kitten by age | Average sleeping time of kittens | The least time a kitten should sleep |
| 1 week old | 18 to 22 hours a day | 16 hours |
| 2 month old | 18 to 20 hours a day | 16 hours |
| 5 month old | 16 to 18 hours a day | 12 hours |
| 1 year old | 14 to 16 hours | 12 hours |
However, when a kitten reaches adulthood, their average sleeping time increases, and they spend about 75% of a day sleeping.
When a cat reaches 10 years of age, their physical activity decreases, resulting in an increasing sleeping time. So, it’s common for a senior cat to sleep 18 to 20 hours a day.
If your kitten sleeps more than normal, this may result in obesity and other health problems. If this is the case, you need to spend more time with your cat by playing and stimulating them.
How to help a kitten sleep well?
Sleeping helps kitten improve their immune system, mental & physical abilities, and help them stay healthy. This is why helping your kitten to sleep well is necessary at the early stage of their life.
Here’s what to do to help your kitten sleep well:
- Never interrupt your kitten while sleeping.
- Provide your kitten a warm place to sleep.
- Ensure your kitten is urinating regularly.
- Provide them plenty of food and water.
- Do not keep toys in the sleeping area.
- Help your kitten feel comfortable by creating a strong bond.
Sometimes too much sleep can trigger many diseases in kittens. Therefore it’s important to keep your kitten active to help them keep healthy.
An active kitten sleeps much better than a non-active lazy cat. To keep your kitten stay active, play with your cat regularly, stimulate them, and take them for a walk.
By creating a relaxed & positive environment, you can easily make your cat sleep well. You can use a comfortable cousin or blanket to make your cat sleep on it.
Cat loves warm places to sleep; in winter, you can use room heather to help your cat keep warm indoors and help them sleep better.
Sometimes you can also use cat-friendly lavender or sleeping music to make your kitten sleep peacefully.
New let your kitten sleep near the window, the kitten is curious and they may jump out of the windows. You can read my recent article where I have covered how to cat-proof windows.
How to make 5 month old kittens sleep instantly?
It can be a difficult task to make your kitten sleep instantly, but it’s not impossible. You can make your kitten sleep in 10 to 15 minutes by following some necessary tricks and guidelines.
guidelines and tricks to make kittens sleep faster:
Play with your kitten before making them sleep. By playing with your kitten, you can easily reduce their excess energy. This technique will help your kitten calm down. Once they calm down, place your kitten on their bed and make it a regular habit.
Create a daily routine. By creating a daily routine, you can easily make your kitten understand when they should eat, brush, pee, play, or sleep.
Play sleeping music. Before making your kitten sleep play sweet relaxing music. By doing it every day, your kitten will understand its sleeping time whenever you play the music.
Stroke your kitten before going to sleep. Before making your cat sleep, stroke your cat for five minutes, do this activity regularly to make your cat understand it’s time to sleep.
If your kitten wakes up middle of the night and jumps on your face and you say okay, I will play with her now then make her sleep, what you have done is told your kitten when she jumps on your face, it’s time to play.
So, it’s better not to respond to your kitten if they get woke up middle of the night
How to get a kitten to sleep in its own bed?
You can easily get your kitten to sleep in its own bed using a technique known as luring. Use meowing tons to get your kitten to sit in its bed. Once they step on the bed, give them a special treat. By continuing this technique each time, what you have done is told your kitten when they step on their bed to sleep, they get a special treat.
However, there are many factors that can make your kitten sleep faster, such as a comfortable bed.
Picking up a comfortable bed for your kitten could be hard because most cats prefer different types of beds at different times.
In winter, kitten-like sleep in a woolen soft bed, where they can easily get warm. A woolen bed can easily trap cats’ body heat to keep them warm.
Sometimes kitten loves to sleep in undesirable places such as in the kitchen, on top of the refrigerator, on furniture, etc.
To stop your cat from sleeping in those areas, you can use sticky paper or spray citrus oils that the cat doesn’t like.
Did I answer everything you want to know about how much do 5 month old kittens sleep?
To sum up, a five-month-old kitten sleeps about 16 to 18 hours a day. As a kitten grows up they become more active and their sleeping time decreases. But when a cat reaches adulthood their sleeping time increases (senior cat sleeps more than kitten).
A 5-month kitten should sleep at least 12 hours to keep their health. Consult a veteran if your kitten sleeps less than 12 hours, your kitten may be suffering from feline insomnia.