It's no fun to walk around sleep-deprived. Most cats wake their pet parents up from a deep sleep at least once per night - a habit that can drive their humans batty. After all, it's not as if they're perky from sleeping sixteen hours in a row. To Sleep or Not to SleepĪlthough they are biologically wired to be most active during twilight, some cats carry their exuberant behavior into the wee morning hours. You'll often see your kitty display this type of play behavior at dusk or dawn - or perhaps when you're trying to get some shut-eye. The vertical slit has "optical features that make it ideal" for critters like your cat to lie in wait (for long periods of time) before pouncing on their prey. "If you have a vertical slit, you're very likely to be an ambush predator," said Martin Banks, a vision scientist, to National Public Radio (NPR). (This explains why she easily can pounce on your toes in even the darkest room.) Some crepuscular creatures - like your kitty - have slit-shaped retinas, as do nocturnal animals. While this behavior is instinctive to each species, the structure of an animal's eyes plays a big part in whether they are nocturnal, diurnal, or crepuscular. "There is just enough light to see, but it is dark enough to lower the odds of being caught and eaten." Predators like hawks have decreased vision during the twilight hours and, therefore, present less of a hazard to small, tasty crepuscular critters. "The most quoted theory for crepuscular activity is that it offers an optimal balance," explained BBC Earth News. But crepuscular animals take advantage of the receding daylight and darkness to capture the best of the daytime and nighttime worlds. Diurnal animals like squirrels, butterflies, and humans, on the other hand, work the day shift. Truly nocturnal animals, such as raccoons and owls, roam around throughout the night - taking advantage of the darkness to hunt their prey.
Understanding the typical pattern of crepuscular behavior - brief bursts of energy tempered by an extended period of rest - may help you see why your kitty is most playful at precisely the same time that you are ready to wind down. Many crepuscular animals, from prey like rabbits to predators like lions, evolved to take advantage of times when temperatures were the coolest in their desert habitats. This biological category describes animals whose peak hours of activity occur at dawn and dusk, explained Mother Nature Network. and 4:00 a.m.ĭespite your kitty's disrespect for your sleep schedule, she's not actually nocturnal: she's crepuscular. Are cats nocturnal? It's a valid question, considering your cat likely zooms around your darkened house - and maybe even demands at least one late-night snack - between the popular feline happy hour of 3:00 a.m.
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