Why Does My Cat Stare At Me While I Sleep?

Do you ever wonder why your cat stares at you while you sleep in the night? If you wake up to your cat staring at you and you find it creepy, you are not alone.

During the day, cats are cute and cuddly, but when they spend a lot of time staring at you in the night while you sleep, it can seem so freaky and ominous.

Why does my cat stare at me while I sleep? 

Your cat is probably just watching you sleep because it likes you.     

Cats’ behavior of staring at owners while they sleep often causes the owners to joke about their cats trying to steal treats or do something mischievous. This guide will shed more light on the reason your cat stares at you while you sleep.

What Keeps Your Cat Wide Awake At Night?   

One thing you should keep in mind is that your cat staring at you while you sleep is not as bizarre as you think.

Cats are essentially nocturnal animals, so being awake at night is reasonable. Being awake at night is normal for cats just as being alert in the day is.

Also, cats have sensitive eyes. They see almost everything, even when it is very dark.

You might find it creepy to have your cat watching you in the dark. However, for your cat, the room is just as bright as it is for you during the day.

 Why Exactly Is Your Cat Watching You?

All cats are different and do things for various reasons. However, most cat behaviorists agree that your cat stares at you because they feel closely bonded to you.

Cats view their owners as part of their family, and part of how cats socialize is watching their family members. When your cat knows you’re near them, it gives them a sense of calm.

Having your face turned towards your cat while you sleep will make them feel like you are strengthening this family bond.

Your cat monitors your behaviors by looking at you. Your cat naturally wants to check up on you and see that you are fine because it cares about you.

Cats believe that their family members are vulnerable while they sleep, so they want to be with you to protect you from any dangers that might occur.

Does Your Behavior Cause Your Cat To Stare At You While You Sleep?

Sometimes, your cat may be staring at you because of the things you do while you sleep. Your sleeping behavior may encourage your cat to stare at you.

If you move around a lot while you sleep, or you snore too loudly, your cat’s predatory instincts may be triggered.

Finger twitching under a blanket can make your cat think a mouse is running around. Strange noises that you make can also call your cat’s attention to you.

Other Reasons Your Cat Is Staring At You

Although, for most cats, they watch over you because they care. However, not all cats are the same.

The most likely reason your cat stares at you may be that it cares, but there are always other reasons for this behavior.

1. Your Cat is Hungry

When your cat comes into your room and stares, he might be doing it because it is hungry and wants to know when you will get up.

Since a lot of people feed their cats first thing every morning, a lot of cats sit and watch their owners sleep as a way of waiting for them to feed them for the morning.

Some cats even take it farther and make sure they stare at you until you feed them. Many cats have discovered that entering their owner’s room and staring at them or sitting on their chest is enough to wake them up.

2. Your cat is anxious

When your cat is glued by your side all night, it might be because it feels insecure. Cats usually do this when they are in a new environment. Your cat might want to be close to you.

Since you make your cay feel safer, it might be staring at you because it wants to wake you up, especially if it notices something scary happening.

3. Your Cat is Bored

Cats love to observe everything happening around them. They can resort to stalking behavior when they want to watch something they are curious about.

During the day, your cat may be sitting by the window watching the environment, and at night, you may be your cat’s object of interest.

It is difficult to know what going on inside a cat’s head, but it may find something you do while you sleep fascinating, and that’s why it keeps staring at you.

If nothing else is happening in the house, your cat might focus its attention on you.

Is Your Cat Trying To Communicate Something By Staring At You?

One thing to know about your cat staring at you is that different forms of staring mean different things. Felines use eye motions to socialize with others, so your cat might be looking at you because it wants to convey an emotion.

Staring can be your cat’s way of showing affection. If your cat is looking at you with its eyes half-closed and slowly blinks its eyes, it is its way of saying “I love you.”

Your cat staring at you with its pupils dilated, without blinking is a less attractive way for your cat to be watching you in the middle of the night, however.

This kind of stare means that your cat is ready to attack you anytime. However, this is not a scary kind of attack. Your cat is not trying to hurt you, but it might just want to pounce on you and start a play fight.

Can You Make Your Cat Stop Staring At You While You Sleep?

To keep your cat busy so they can stop staring at you, you should consider these tricks;

Create playtime for your cat

Playing with the cat during the cat for a long time will wear it out before bed.

If you are exhausted from a long day at work, you can get a toy your cat can play with on its own. Playing will keep your cat preoccupied and cause it to sleep at night.

Widen your feline’s world

Feeding puzzles, cat videos, and window perches with bird feeders outside will keep your cat busy throughout the day and cause him to sleep all night, or at least, most of the night.

If your cat is always active at night, it can become very restless and stressed when they are indoors.

You will need to make plenty of things available to keep them busy. Also, make sure they have a clean litter tray (otherwise you’re going to find out why the cat’s poop smells bad) and freshwater to use at night. Keep these far apart from each other.

Cats are natural hunters, so ensure that they have mental stimulation. Hunting is essential so that they don’t feel frustrated. You will find plenty of cat toys in pet shops built for this purpose or make your pet toy. Empty egg boxes and ping pong balls make great toys for energetic kitties.

Will Your Cat Love It When You Stare At Back Them?

You might have heard somewhere that cats hate it when someone stares at them, and they see it as aggressive behavior.

Most times, when you see two cats staring each other down, this is true. However, this is not usually the case when humans stare at them.

Most cats, just like humans, will hate it if someone gets right up close and stare at them. For the most part, as long as you stare softly and they don’t feel threatened, they’re okay with you staring.

To find out if your cat loves it when you stare, try staring and see. Stare at your cat from across the room and observe its reaction. Your cat will probably ignore you.

Doing this is not a great way to make them stop staring while you sleep. You have to figure out why they stare and what they want.

Or find a way to distract them while you are asleep. It’s not a solution to stop them staring at you because you don’t want to freak them out. You’re better off investigating the reasons above and trying to find out what they want.

Do Felines Love Making Eye Contact?

Cats love eye contact, and they use it as a way of communicating with their owners, other cats, and other living beings around them.

However, you need to be aware of the type of eye contact. Cats like the kind of eye contact that humans do, so it is not difficult to figure out when to look at your feline.

Owners make eye contact with their cats when they interact with them especially when they are playing, which is why most times if your cat is staring at you in the night, it probably wants to tell you something.