My cat goes into a coma when he sleeps

[petjewelry]

I had a cat years ago that did the same thing and he was natural a wild cat given to me from a friend that turned out to be allergic to the little boy. so I loved him for 19 years. Your cat probably has wild in its DNA or not. If a cat loves you and TRUST you then you can do anything because they know they are safe and it sounds like your and great parent. Unless your cat has out of the ordinary problems when it is awake then your fine, it is just letting you know that you are its everything.

One of my Savannah's does this, very very scary...thank you for your explenation

 

[Furballsmom]

That cat looked at us as if we were completely nuts and went right back to sleep.

Wow, I just glanced through this whole thread - gee whiz!!

My Big Guy goes into a deep sleep and I've often thought that it seems a little odd that a feline, which is normally anywhere from Alert to High-Alert, would pass out and sleep so hard. I mean, it's wonderful that he trusts us so much and I've sometimes wondered if he's sleeping like that now because in his first five years of life he was literally never able to relax, but still...

Anyway, lordy, he's got nothing on what you-all are describing! I can't even begin to guess as to why they are going so limp and unconscious that they can't be awakened.

 

[RufusGizmo]

I wish mine would sleep like that

 

[Stari]

I have to ask you guys about something, cuz I really need some help!

This is very strange and I have no idea why it is happening. When my cat is sleeping, he sometimes goes into a "deep sleeping coma". He can fall asleep as a normal cat, but suddenly it can seem like he is dead or something. I can poke him, shake his head, lift his legs up and shake his whole body without him reacting to it.. It sounds strange, I know, and it is very hard to describe.. Therefore I've uploaded a video of it to show you exactly what I mean. Check it out here. This is what happens during the "coma". Strange, right? Almost funny..



The first time it happend, I seriously though he was head. He was not reacting to anything, and I almost started crying. I had to slap his face or make a very high sound to make him wake up. Is this normal? At first, it didn't happend very often, but now he goes into this "deep sleeping coma" almost every day.. It would be comforting to hear about other cats doing this to, and it would be even more comforting to hear WHY they do it. Does someone know anything? Should I take him to a vet or something?

- TK

I know this post is old but it's something I also had to research. It can be one of 2 things. Normal or seizures. If the cat falls asleep and then goes into the "dead" or "coma" sleep it means that he feels so safe that he can sleep very deeply. Sometimes they do a version of cat sleepwalking and have a very frightening twitch episode. If your cat is awake and drops into a "dead" sleep or twitching episode it is probably seizures. More common with young and old cars that have longer and more deep sleep periods. I know this because I thought my cat had a seizure and it turned out he is just super happy. A lot of cats can't do it due to other pets and small children they have to be alert gor. Knowing all this I still freak out every time my animal is floppy and unresponsive. So if he's on a sleeping spot it's probably all good but if he drops while walking around he will need anti seizure medication.

 

[Willnjen05]

My cat has been doing the same thing but his body gets hard like a dead body would be after its been dead for awhile.

I will wake up in middle of the night and he will be like that next time me but after I saw his name a few times he Wakes up . It scared me the first time he did because he was not budging. I had to call his name 3 times Smokey wake up Smokey wake up Smokey wake up before he finally started moving around. It's happened 3 times now. Is this taking away his 9 lives that cats supposedly have? If so this isn't good.

 

[LVLouisCyphre]

I jokingly call this phenomenon Schrödinger's cat nap. I've experienced two cats that did this in my presence. If they're breathing normally then I wouldn't worry about it but also let your vet know to see if it's not a problem. If you want to have fun, pick up the cat and move them to another safe place in your home to see if they freak out or are confused when they wake up. If your cat(s) go into deep sleep around you especially if they're on their back exposing their belly it's a great sign of trust. Both of the cats that went into a Schrödinger's cat nap were lying on their back, belly exposed.

One of the things I have noticed is if the cat purrs like a jet engine around you out of being happy and safe chances are they will have Schrödinger's cat naps around you.

 

[Artwithemme]

Hi! This just happened to my cat, Duncan, and I 100% thought he died. I slapped him light, opened his mouth, and other stuff too. Only when I screamed and cried did he wake up, and not he looks all good. Glad he’s ok!