If you’re lying on the couch reading a book or watching a movie, many cats will take the opportunity to come and lay on your chest. Are there certain reasons behind this behavior? Yes! You’ll need to figure out which ones might apply to your cat, but there are five main reasons that cats love to lay on our chests. Let’s find out what they are!
The 5 Reasons Cat Lays on Your Chest
1. Cats Love to Be Warm
Cats lie on our chests for the same reason that they love sitting on your laptop, in a sunny spot, or above a radiator. You’re warm! Cats adore finding the coziest spots to curl up for a nap, and the warmest place for a cat to sit on their human is right in the middle of our chest!
2. Cats Love to Be Comfortable
When sitting up, we’ll often fidget to get into the comfiest position, which can annoy some cats to the point that they’ll jump off your lap and find somewhere else to sit or lie down. Once we’re lying down, though, we’re more likely to stay still, meaning your cat can concentrate on relaxing too.
3. Your Cat Loves You
Some cats adore being close to their owners, and they’ll seek you out and sit or lay on you, whatever position you’re in. If your cat loves to bond with you by sleeping on your chest, you might have to resign yourself to the fact that you won’t get much done once they’re settled down!
4. It Makes Your Cat Feel Secure
It may be that some cats get an extra element of feeling secure when lying on our chests, as it’s easy for them to feel our heartbeat. It’s a similar position to how they may have slept near their mothers’ chests, so this position can make some cats feel safe.
Hearing your heartbeat through your chest can comfort even adult cats. After all, plenty of our grown-up cats still indulge in “kittenish” behavior, like kneading or sucking on a blanket, so it’s no surprise to know that they might also enjoy the comfort of being close to another beating heart.
Cats know that they’re vulnerable when they’re asleep, so they’ll automatically seek out the safest place that they can find when they want to take a nap. That might be a quiet corner of the house, an elevated shelf, or your chest!
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5. Your Cat Is Being Territorial
If you have multiple cats, you might find that one of them lays on your chest more often than the others. Cats can “claim” toys or a couch and won’t allow another cat access, and laying on your chest can do the same.
By laying on your chest, your cat will also be covering more of you with pheromones from their scent glands, letting any other cats in the area know that, beyond any doubt, you are theirs!
It’s Good for Us Too!
Your cat might gain comfort and warmth from snuggling up on your chest, but the benefits go both ways! Having your cat on your chest and being able to feel the vibrations of their purr can offer surprising health benefits.
A cat’s purr measures within the frequency range of 20-150 Hertz, which matches the frequencies used in therapeutic medicine to aid bone and soft tissue injuries.
It’s not just their purrs that can do us good. Scientists have discovered that people who own cats are 40% less likely to suffer from health conditions like heart attacks. They’ve also found that owning a cat can reduce stress and high blood pressure.
So, the next time your cat snuggles down on your chest, relax and enjoy it, knowing it’s doing both of you plenty of good!
But Short Amounts of Time Are Best
Even if it’s tempting to allow your adorable cat to sleep on your chest all night, it’s probably not a good idea.
If you shift unconsciously in your sleep, you may startle your cat. Their response may sometimes be to hold on with their claws, which can be somewhat of a shock if you are in a deep sleep! You also don’t want to roll over onto your cat if they’ve shifted to sleeping beside you in the night.
You might also find that you can’t drop off into a deep sleep with your cat on your chest. Trying to breathe properly with a heavy cat on your chest can become uncomfortable, especially if your cat is a large breed like a Maine Coon. Broken sleep isn’t going to leave you feeling refreshed in the morning.
Sleeping in such close proximity to your cat may also trigger allergies as you inhale dander and fur that can cause breathing problems.
If you want to recreate that warm secure feeling for your cat when you’re not at home or trying to get a good night’s sleep, consider investing in a heated cat bed for them instead.
Conclusion: Why Do Cats Lay On Your Chest
There are many different reasons cats like to sit on your chest, lay on it, or sleep on it, from simply keeping warm to feeling comforted or letting other cats in the house know that they consider you “theirs.” If this is one of your cat’s favorite places to lay, we’d love to know why you think that they love it so much!
Featured Image: Lutic, Shutterstock
