The Cat Napping Activity Page

You can interpret the temperature of a room in your home by watching a cat as it naps. Try this easy and fun science experiment. You will form a theory or hypothesis about how temperature affects the napping position of a cat.

You will need :

a pencil and paper a room thermometer a sleepy cat

1. Observe a cat while it is napping. Draw a picture of cat's napping position. Measure the temperature in the area where the cat is sleeping. Record the date and temperature.

2. Repeat your observations for several days with different weather conditions.

3. Look at all of your drawings and notes. Try to write a theory or hypothesis for the way that temperature affects the cat's sleeping position.

People who study cats have found that on cold days a cat usually sleeps curled up in a ball. Its paws and head are tucked in and its tail is curled around its body. This probably helps to conserve the cat's body heat.

When the temperature is warmer, a cat will usually sleep less tightly curled, with their tail looser and paws out. On hot days, most cats sleep stretched out, some on their sides or backs to allow their body heat to escape more easily.