Can Cats Legs Fall Asleep

Generally, an area of the human body can fall asleep (become numb), such as the legs and hands. This numbness, commonly called pins and needles, is especially common in the legs and hands. It often occurs when they are in an awkward position that compresses the nerves and restricts blood flow to a part of the body. Does it happen in animals too? And if so, can cats’ legs fall asleep? 

No. The circulatory system in cats is different from those in humans. The blood flow of a cat is not restricted by its position. Hence, a cat’s paw can not fall asleep unless it has an underlying injury or disease. 

Now that you know that cats’ legs do not fall asleep due to how they position their body, you may also have other questions related to cat numbness. Let’s dive into answering a few questions that will enlighten you rather than confuse you. 

What Happens When Feet Fall Asleep?

When feet fall asleep, the feet will experience the feeling of numbness or tingling, which is commonly known as temporary paresthesia.

Temporary paresthesia is also called the pins-and-needles effect. It happens when the nerves in a part of a body are compressed due to pressure applied to them. Sleeping feet or numbness is a sensation, and nerves are responsible for various sensations a body experiences, such as pain. The type of sensation a nerve controls can only be explained by the brain.

The nerves send signals to the brain, and the brain transmits the messages. However, the brain will not transmit messages from the nerves if too much pressure has been applied to the nerves (forcing them to compress). The pressure will then cut down blood circulation in the vessels that nourish the nerves. However, the nerves can not function or transmit messages from the body to the brain. 

Once the source of nourishment for the nerves has been reduced, they start malfunctioning. Thus, they send signals that the brain does not understand, resulting in different sensations, like numbness or tingling. This numbness, which is commonly called temporary paresthesia, can be resolved when there is a change in the body’s position in a way that relieves the pressure on the nerves. 

Do Cats’ Paws Fall Asleep? 

No. The reason is that cats’ paws have a blood supply mechanism that is better than the blood supply in humans. 

Restricted blood supply is the leading cause of numbness in humans, commonly known as temporary paresthesia. The restriction of blood circulation in a particular area of the body is due to the positioning of that body part, which leads to nerve compression. However, it is different for cats because they have a better blood supply in their frets than humans’. 

The positioning of a body plays a significant role in determining whether the body part will experience numbness. If humans maintain an awkward position, like crossing legs or bending of hands for an extended period, they will feel a tingling sensation called numbness or pins-and-needles.

The reason is that these awkward positions will compress the nerves and restrict the nourishment it needs to function correctly. Thus, an alteration to the normal positioning of a body part in humans is responsible for the numbness they experience. 

In cats, the positioning of their body does not lead to numbness. Their paws, which have a spatulate shape, are built to bear the cat’s weight without compressing any nerves, irrespective of how long it maintains a particular position. Cats also have adequate blood circulation or blood supply to continually nourish the nerves to function correctly, even when lying down for long. 

Furthermore, as a pet owner, you may think your cat would experience feet numbness because it holds its entire weight on its legs when it lies. It is, however, not the case for cats because their curled-up paws are structured to hold their body weight without applying pressure on their nerves.

Meanwhile, the feet of humans will fall asleep if they sit down the way cats do for an extended period due to a restriction in blood supply and compressed nerves. 

What Health Conditions Can Make A Cat’s Legs Numb?

Leg paralysis may be responsible for the numbness of your cat’s legs rather than pins-and-needles. 

As discussed earlier, cats’ legs or paws can not fall asleep like humans’ feet. However, cats’ legs can become numb due to an underlying health problem like leg paralysis.

Leg paralysis is the inability of your cat to feel or move one or more legs, which is a situation worse than pins-and-needles. Impairment in the cat’s motor and sensory nerves causes leg paralysis. Thus, an alteration in the typical motor and sensory function in your cat’s legs is called paralysis. 

When you find out that your cat has difficulty moving any of its legs, you should immediately consult your veterinarian. Leg paralysis demands urgent veterinarian attention; hence, don’t assume your cat’s feet have fallen asleep if one of its legs is not moving. If you rely on assumptions, the condition will deteriorate and may lead to paraplegia and then tetraplegia. Paraplegia is the inability of your cat to move two of its legs. On the contrary, tetraplegia is the inability of your cat to move any of its legs. 

Lastly, there are several causes of leg paralysis in cats, and the most common reasons are accidents, trauma, and viruses. Leg paralysis requires urgent veterinary attention and should not be taken with levity. 

Conclusion

Cats sometimes share the same health complications as humans, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart diseases. When it comes to partial paresthesia, cats don’t experience such a sensation, but humans do. Thus, if you find one of your cat’s legs numb, you should visit a vet because it is not due to pins and needles. Instead, it may be due to paralysis, which could deteriorate beyond measure if not taken seriously.