Why Does My Cat Sleep on Me When I’m Sick? Does My Cat Know I’m Feeling Ill?

Over the years, we’ve noticed that our cats like to spend lots of time with us whenever we’re sick.

Our cats sleeping with us when we’re sick isn’t shocking because our cats almost always sleep with us, but when we’re sick they never leave our side!

On a regular day, I would say that each of our cats spends between 1-2 hours sleeping intermittently in our laps. The time spent on our laps includes days where I spend the majority of my time in bed.

Our cats will ignore if they’ve “had enough” of us, but again, it seems like they can’t have enough of us whenever we’re sick and will spend almost all of their time with us.

As mentioned in past posts, when my partner and I are sick, we choose not to share the same bed as we both have jobs that require us to be physical and interact closely with other people. So, in hopes of trying to make sure that at least one of us can continue to work, we choose to try our very best not to spread germs.

You’d think that that would be somewhat difficult, especially with two cats, but that doesn’t seem to be the case since the cats seem to ignore the healthy one of us unless we feed them or try to play with them. Interesting, eh?

Another weird thing that changes about our cats when we’re sick is that they fight less and spend more time sleeping. While their activity levels vary from day to day, it is relatively easy to tell that our cats 

So, does that mean that our cats understand that we’re sick?

Are our cats trying to make sure we feel better?

Are our cats worried about us?

Why is it that our cats seem to understand that we’re sick, and what are they thinking?

SHORT ANSWER

Although human-feline relationships haven’t been extensively researched, there are a few studies that show that cats can emotionally bond with their owners.

Though at the time of writing this article, there is not enough scientific evidence to confirm how much cats can understand us or bond with us, we do know that they do understand a limited amount of our language. 

There are several forums, blogs and other forms of social media in which owners share their experiences bonding with their cats, and many experiences seem much like our very own.

Although blogs and forums aren’t scientific journals or research since a lot of the documentation is similar, it is safe to assume that the pet parents are onto something!

GALVAN AND VONK STUDY

In 2015, Moriah Galvan and Jennifer Vonk from Oakland University did a study on 12 cats based on how cats react when owners smile or frown at them.

Although the sample size was much smaller than most research studies try to have, this is currently the most well-known and referenced study of its kind.

So what did the study say? Well, the study showed when owners smiled, the cats scented more, purred and even sat on their owner’s laps. The study also showed that cats were less likely to want to spend time around their owners when the owner was frowning. 

Now, though the results showed that cats could understand facial features over time, it does not prove that cats are empathetic.

To read more about this study, click here.

CATS ARE MASTERS AT LEARNING BODY LANGUAGE

Ever have a cat who won’t stop staring at you? We have one of those in our household, and while it can be creepy at times, it’s an instinct our cat, Beau, has to help him understand what’s going on.

Speaking of, do you have a cat who always runs to the kitchen whenever you walk in that direction?

Do you have a cat who is trained to do a specific task or trick based on how you vocalize or by doing a particular action? 

Do you have a cat who will jump onto the couch whenever you pat on it?

Do you have a cat who will run if you hunch yourself over as if you’re going to pounce?

Well, chances are you have a cat who has one of these qualities or behaviours, if not more, that I haven’t even mentioned. 

It is assumed that cats will begin to understand when it is you’re sick based on being able to recognize when you cough, sneeze, sniffle, etc. similar to other stimuli you provide.

 

CATS THRIVE ON ROUTINE

I’m sure everyone has had their cat remind them that it’s time to eat by either meowing incessantly or, if you have a cat like Beau, by walking into the kitchen and standing in the same spot until you feed them.

Cats will recognize when there is a change in their routine based on the changes you have to make while being sick.

What do I mean by that? Well, if you’re someone who has a full-time job, your cat will recognize that you are at home spending time in your bed instead of being gone. If you’re too sick, they may notice you sleeping more.

If you’re sleeping, you may even miss a feeding, sending them the red alert that something is wrong, and their food delivery service is out of commission (at least for now!) 

Cats may get stressed when their routine changes and may turn to their owners for comfort or answers. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a cat that is spending time with their sick owner is stressed out.

A break in routine may be another way your cat begins recognizing that you’re not feeling well when you’re sick.

YOU’RE WARM AND COMFY

Often when we’re sick, our body temperature rises, making us the perfect cuddle spot for cats. Body temperature is a big reason why cats sleep by our feet at night, although it is not the only reason.

Whether or not you have a fever, your cat may be attracted to the fact that you have extra body heat and are spending a lot of time on the couch or bed, not moving.

Funny enough, this is also one of the reasons cats love paper and cardboard boxes so much.

CATS MIGHT BE HYPERSENSITIVE TO ILLNESS

This topic is one of the gray areas of this post since there isn’t a whole lot of scientific evidence to support this claim. That said, it is a known fact that cats are aware of each other’s illnesses and will try to protect and provide extra support for sick members of their pack. 

Housecats have also made their owners aware of another cat’s illness by overgrooming them on the affected area. It’s a reasonably odd phenomenon, but some cat owners have reported similar behaviour with their cats’ human counterparts.

After researching and reading several posts, blogs, and asking friends, it seems like some cats are hypersensitive or overly aware of human illnesses. Ordinary behaviour cats exhibit to their owners is massaging them or even licking them in hopes of making them feel better.

Many blogs claim that this frequently happens when the owners have headaches or migraines, while some others claim that their cats were aware of fatal organ failures, including, but not limited to, kidneys. 

Now, this is a fairly bold statement, and I will repeat that there are no scientific studies on these happenings, but it is fantastic to read so many stories of cats bonding with their human counterparts when they are sick.

I do hope that vets try to conduct studies or research on these happenings, although it would be somewhat tricky. Perhaps a survey group to begin!

CATS HAVE SAVED LIVES

We so often hear about the fantastic work dogs do for firefighters, paramedics and other rescue groups, but did you know that cats have been known to do a lot of the same work?

There have been multiple reports of cats waking up family members when another family member is experiencing medical difficulties. Some of these medical difficulties have included seizures, heart failure, and choking/trouble breathing.

Some reports even claim that cats were aware of the symptoms even before anything drastic happened, and cats who wouldn’t typically bite or meow would yowl and bite their owners to make them aware of the danger they were in.

Weirdly enough, some reports have even claimed that their cats were aware that their blood sugars were too low, and their cats kept them awake until they had taken their pills and done their second reading. Interesting, eh?

Cats have even been known to wake up their owners when there is an increase in carbon monoxide and fires.

The fantastic thing about these stories is that there aren’t just a few of them, the internet is flooded with them. Not only that, there is plenty of documentation of these events from law enforcement officials, medical experts, animal support organizations as well as credible news sources. All of these proving how amazing cats are.

BUT HOW CAN ALL OF THIS BE POSSIBLE?

Well, not only do a number of these medical experiences have visual ailments such as dizziness, fatigue, etc. A number of them cause the chemicals to shift in your body.

Since cats have a much stronger sense of smell than we do, it is assumed that they can tell when these chemicals switch in our bodies. The simplest example, being blood sugar.

It can be assumed that if your cat catches wind of these chemical changes, they will relate it to some of the symptoms above, even if you are asleep.

Blood sugar drops? My owner always stumbles when I smell this. They always ingest something. They always use a machine twice. They’re not doing it. Maybe I should wake them up to remind them!

CONCLUSION

Although there are countless accounts of cats being able to suspect when their owners are sick, there is unfortunately not enough scientific evidence to prove the claim. 

Now, that’s not to say that it is a fallacy or a lie that cats can tell whether or not you are sick, it is, however, to say that we should probably get some funds to research this! 

I do recommend doing a deeper dive into the stories of cats saving lives, both medical as well as in cases of fires. I have to admit that my deep dive lasted several hours and a few thousand teardrops later, I have learned to love and respect cats even more.

While I have never been in the situation where my cats have saved my life, I am grateful for the time they have spent sleeping by my side when I’m sick and their countless kisses, healing purrs and cuddles.

So pet parents, what do you think about all of this? Do your cats seem to be aware of you being sick? Have they ever saved your life? Let me know in the comments below!