Why does your cat tremble in sleep? Does your cat suffer from tremors or spasms while asleep? This may be a symptom of something as simple and straightforward as he is cold, or it may be due to a somewhat more dangerous situation that requires a vet to examine him in detail. In this oneHOWTO article, we are going to answer your question about “Why does my cat tremble in sleep”? giving you the most common causes of this condition. In addition, we will also discover why, sometimes, he has strong spasms that make him jump or even wake up. Keep reading this article and get out of the doubt!
If you notice that when your cat is asleep it begins to tremble, this situation may be due to different factors. Here we are going to discover some of the most common ones so that you can understand what your great friend is experiencing.
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Why Does Your Cat Tremble In Sleep?
You might notice your cat shivering when it is going to sleep, or while sleeping, this is usually due to signals being sent out to the cat’s brain in the dreaming phase. Here we have provided you with the reasons why does your cat tremble in sleep. Make sure to check the entire article for more information.
Tremors due to the cold
Like us, cats can also be cold when they relax and, therefore, suffer from shivering due to low temperatures. You have to take into account that the body heat of cats is higher than that of humans since they are usually at 39ºC, therefore, in an environment in which you feel good and comfortable, they can be with some cold. To get rid of doubts, nothing better than trying to cover him with a blanket or bring him closer to a source of heat. If the tremors stop, you know what the cause was.
Your cat trembles in fear
Although asleep, your cat may also experience fear. How? Because of the dream. Animals also dream and therefore you may be living a nightmare that makes you tremble and alert even with your eyes closed. This situation is usually very common in cats that have suffered abuse or have been abandoned. They have fear built into their body and, therefore, it is more recurrent that their dreams are agitated.
Your cat’s health problems
Physical pain can also make your cat shiver when she’s asleep. Just like what happens to us when something hurts a lot, animals can also tremble in pain and, therefore, in these cases you should take them to a veterinarian to find out what is causing their discomfort. Normally, if the animal is in severe pain, other symptoms and changes in its behavior are also usually seen, such as being more aggressive, meowing more frequently, assuming abnormal postures, etc.
Due to intoxication
If you want to know why your cat trembles while sleeping, you have to know that another cause may be that it has been poisoned by a product or food that it should not have taken. There are some toxic foods for cats as well as toxic plants for cats that we can have at home without knowing that they can endanger our animal. In these cases, not only will he shake, but he may also vomit or you will see that he is more listless than usual. In addition, he will not eat or hardly move either. In these cases, you should take it to a veterinarian urgently so that it can be treated immediately.
Do cat tremors only occur in the paws?
But what can happen if the tremors occur only in the cat’s legs? So, the causes of these tremors can be somewhat different and here we discover the most common ones:
- viruses or bacteria: when a virus, bacterium or fungus enters the cat’s nervous system, it is likely that the cat may begin to experience tremors or spasms that may occur while awake but also while asleep. Normally these spasms are focused on the leg area, therefore, it is best to go to a veterinarian immediately.
- joint problems: that the tremors are in the legs can also indicate that the cat begins to suffer from some conditions in the joints, such as arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc. This usually happens in older cats and, in these cases, it is best to take him to a veterinarian so that he can tell you what treatment to follow so that his life is as optimal as possible.
- Poisoning: It may also be that the cat suffers from tremors in the legs due to poisoning or intoxication. And it is that there are some toxins that directly affect the legs but, in these cases, you will also be able to see that the animal presents other symptoms such as seizures, drooling, apathy, etc. Here we help you to know if your cat has been poisoned.

But what if instead of tremors the cat suffers from spasms? In these cases, it is most likely that your cat is dreaming. There are many studies indicating that animals can dream and, therefore, the spasms that they present during the hours of sleep may simply be a reaction to what they are experiencing in their subconscious.
However, it is not yet known what the dreams of cats or dogs are like, nor what kind of complexity they recreate in their subconscious. However, the spasms that they may experience can be due to simple movements of the body that they emit involuntarily.
You should know that, according to studies that have been carried out, the operation of the cats brain when they sleep is very similar to what we humans present. Therefore, just as we can have spasms when we sleep, either because of the same dream or because we are entering different phases of sleep, the animal can experience the same. This will not only move the body, but the animal can also experience spasms in specific areas such as the eyelids, nose, whiskers, legs, etc.

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