Why do most cats sleep on their left side?

(Dan Tri) - Cats sleep from 12 to 16 hours a day and a new study shows that most of them prefer to sleep on their left side.

Recent research has revealed an interesting behavior in cats: most of them tend to sleep on their left side.

Scientists believe this posture may be a defense strategy, helping cats react more quickly to potential threats.

Why do most cats sleep on their left side? (Illustration: Getty).

Cats have long been known to sleep in high places, such as on top of suitcases or wardrobes, out of reach of predators on the ground and affectionate owners.

This behavior helps them detect threats from a distance. Researchers theorize that cats' sleeping positions — whether on their left or right side — may serve a similar defensive function.

"Behavioral asymmetry can be advantageous because both hemispheres of the brain specialize in different tasks," explains behavioral neuroscientist Onur Güntürkün from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany.

Güntürkün and his team analyzed cat sleeping positions using 408 carefully selected YouTube videos . The results showed that the majority of these cats (two-thirds) tended to sleep on their left side. This position allows their left-side vision to be unobstructed by their own bodies.

The left visual field transmits signals to the right hemisphere of the brain, which is involved in spatial awareness, threat recognition, and rapid escape coordination. Therefore, this sleeping position may help cats respond more quickly when awakened by a predator (or a human approaching).

"Sleep is one of the most vulnerable states for animals, as the ability to guard against predators is greatly reduced, especially during deep sleep," the study authors emphasize.

The researchers suggest that the fact that cats tend to sleep on their left side may be due to an asymmetry in how the two hemispheres of the brain process threats, but caution that other factors that may influence this behavior cannot be ruled out.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/vi-sao-hau-het-meo-ngu-nghieng-ben-trai-20250720234628225.htm