Mary Allen
Many cats love to lie in the sun and let the rays warm them. They like to take advantage of the tiniest sunspots that come through the window, or even move with them when the position of the sun changes during the day. Why is it that the fur noses enjoy sunbathing so much?
Short-haired cats, in particular, enjoy lying in the warm sun, forest cat breeds such as the Maine Coon, and other long-haired furry friends such as the Persian cat usually prefer shady places. Why is that?
Cats Love the Warmth of the Sun
If you look at where the ancestor of our domestic cats came from, it quickly becomes clear why house cats like to relax in the sun. The wild cat lives in Africa and is perfectly equipped for life in the desert at high temperatures. Their long limbs and short fur give off body heat quickly, and they use up a lot of valuable energy to maintain their body temperature.
The normal body temperature of cats is between 38 and 39.3 degrees Celsius, which is higher than that of humans. They like to stay in warm places so that their body is heated from the outside and they use less energy. They save additional energy when they rest or even sleep in warm places. So cats like to sleep in the sun because it saves valuable energy.
The case is different with long-haired furry friends, such as forest cat breeds, which have developed at lower temperatures. Its physique is stockier and stockier than that of her ancestor, the wild cat. This physique and its dense fur are ideal for storing body heat even in colder climates without using a lot of energy.
On the other hand, long-haired cats are usually too hot in the sun in summer. They prefer to make themselves comfortable in the shade, for example on the cool bathroom tiles and stretch out on all fours to give off as much heat as possible.
Do Cats Produce Vitamin D in Sunlight?
Humans can produce the essential vitamin D themselves when sunlight shines on their skin. Cats need vitamin D too, but are they benefiting from the sun’s rays? The sources for this are not clear.
The only thing that is clear is that the velvet paws cannot produce the nutrient by letting the sunshine on their skin. On the one hand, the fur is too thick for this, on the other hand, unlike the human body, the cat’s organism is not designed to produce its own vitamin D.
However, there is a theory that certain oils and fats in cat fur react with sunlight and break down to produce vitamin D. When house tigers groom themselves, they lick up the nutrient from their fur. However, this assumption is controversial. With a species-appropriate diet with high-quality cat food or with correct BARF, additional vitamin D is usually not necessary anyway.