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You’ve probably seen them doing this more often than not and this might have made you wonder, why do cats sigh?
Sighing can be used to convey a variety of emotions. For instance, sighing in human could be an indication of relief and happiness or could be driven by some sort of anxiety. But is that really the case, when it comes to our little furry friends?
In this article, we will dive deeper into this particular topic of cat’s sighing and ensure to position you in a much better space on matters cat sighing.
Keep on reading to understand:
- Why cats sigh
- Why cats sigh loudly
- And so much more…
Let’s get straight into it.
Why Do Cats Sigh?
Cats sigh for a number of reason, ranging from boredom, loneliness, happiness, hunger or anxiety. The exact reason why your furry friend is sighing would depend on the kind of mood they are in at that particular moment.
They may also sigh because they are feeling contented in their current state or current environment. They may also sigh just after waking up from a short nap or as they get comfortable enough to fall asleep.
Since they sigh when feeling contented, petting them for a while might also trigger sighing from them. Sighing is perfectly normal in cats and shouldn’t stress you or worry you in any way.
In this next section of this article, we will now dive deeper into each of the reason why your cat could be sighing.
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Key Reasons Why Cats Sigh
There are a number of key reasons why your feline friend might be sighing. Let’s dive deeper into each of the reason below:
1. Boredom
Your feline friend is more likely to sigh when they are bored than when they are busy playing around. You may also notice other behaviors such as over-grooming, excessive sleeping and over eating.
Boredom will trigger the sighing effect in cats but in most cases doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your furry little friend.
2. Loneliness
Boredom goes hand in hand with loneliness. When your cats are bored and lonely, they are more likely to sigh. The sighing in this case, is mostly just triggered by the fact that they are lonely and have no one to play with.
3. Happiness / Contentment
Your feline friend is also more likely to sigh from happiness. When your cat is happy with it’s current setting they’ll feel content and end up sighing.
With that said, it doesn’t mean that your feline friend is content or happy just from sighing – dig deeper to get a clear understanding of what really is making them happy.
4. Hunger
Hunger in cats can lead to your cat sighing. They may end up sighing since they haven’t really had anything for a while and don’t seem to find any solution at the moment.
Feeding your cat regularly will go a long way in ensuring that they are full and content with their current environment.
5. Anxiety
Anxiety has also been known to cause some cats to sigh. Anxious cats will sigh due to the uncertainty of the situation and not because they are stressed or feel threaten.
6. Comfort
Our feline friends live in the moment. They’ll let out a sigh of relief once they feel they are safe and contented in their current environment. This could also mean them sighing once they get back home from a walk or from the groomer.
7. Biological
Cat’s lungs are structured just like human being lungs and operate in a similar way. They also serve the same purpose. This means from a biological stand point, as humans sigh to refill alveoli so do our feline friends.
These deeper sighs helps our feline friends reinflate their lungs just like they do for us, human beings.
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What Does it Mean When Cat Sighs?
Sighing in cats could mean a number of things. This could range from boredom, happiness, contentment, comfort, hunger or anxiety. From a biological stand point sighing is common among all mammals.
You should pay close attention to your cat to understand exactly what could be triggering the sighing in them.
Sighing in cats shouldn’t worry you as there isn’t anything wrong with them, but if you notice excessive sighs – feel free to visit your local vet just to be 100% sure nothing is a mess.
Is It Normal For Cats to Sigh?
Yes, it’s very much normal for cats to sigh. Sighing simply put is taking of deep breaths to inflate the lungs. Since cats are living creatures, they need their lungs inflated to survive during the in and outs of air flow.
It is therefore, very normal for cats to sigh. There are however, a number of other reasons that aren’t biological as to why cat’s sigh.
These may include, anxiety, boredom, contentment, comfort just to mention a few. Should you feel the sighs from your cats are abnormal, you may want to ensure you visit your local vet to get them checked up.
Why Do Cats Sigh in Their Sleep
Cats will sigh in their sleep mostly because they are comfortable and relaxed in their current setting. The fact that they are contented and in their resting state, they end up sighing.
Cat’s sighing in their sleep is very normal and nothing to really worry about. Their body is well rested from the day’s struggle and taking deep breathes as they sleep leads to them sighing.
When mammals go to sleep, our muscle relaxes. This includes our lungs muscle which all mammals have including our cats. When these muscles relax, our body responds by taking in more air. This leads to sighing during sleep time.
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Why Do Cats Sigh Loudly
Some cats may sigh more loudly than others similar to how some people may be more vocal than others. This typically isn’t a sign of any underlying issues. Same case applies to cats, some cats are more vocal than others.
Mostly cat’s sigh when relaxed, if they are sighing particularly loudly than usual then it could mean that they are more relaxed at that particular time.
Cat’s have different ways of expressing themselves and sighing loudly doesn’t necessary mean there is any underlying issues.
Huffing vs Sighing
Huffing and sighing are quite different even though its very easy to mistake one for the other.
Huffing in cats is mostly witnessed when your feline friend is completely alert and focusing on whatever they are huffing about. Compared to sighing which mostly happens when your cat is relaxed, contented and comfortable.
For example, cats will huff to signify some sort of irritation and will always be alert to pounce on the irritation with their eyes focused on their target. Cats may huff at each other as a warning and are usually very aggressive when huffing.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, cats sigh for a couple of reasons ranging from boredom, anxiety, contentment, or for biological reasons. Sighing in cats is very much normal and really nothing to worry about.