An international study found that most cats sleep on their left side, likely due to more efficient processing of threats in the right hemisphere of the brain.
A new international study has uncovered a surprising phenomenon: Cats tend to sleep on their left side. Researchers suggest that this is not a random preference, but a strategy related to the ability to quickly detect threats.
The study was carried out by a team from the University of Bari in Italy, the Ruhr University in Bochum in Germany, the Medical School in Hamburg and other institutions in Canada, Switzerland and Turkey. It was published in the scientific journal Current Biology.
The researchers examined 408 YouTube videos showing a single cat sleeping on one side for at least XNUMX seconds. Only videos without editing or mirroring were included. The result: About two-thirds of the cats were seen sleeping on their left side.
According to Prof. Onur Gunturkun of the University of Bochum, this has to do with the specialization of the brain. The right hemisphere of the brain processes information about dangers, spatial awareness and escape coordination. When a cat sleeps on its left side, it wakes up with its left eye facing the environment. Visual information from the left eye is passed to the right hemisphere – and this gives it an advantage in reaction time.
Dr. Svim Isparta of the University of Bari added that sleeping on a particular side may be a survival advantage. Sleep is a state of vulnerability, and cats in the wild spend between 12 and 16 hours a day sleeping, often in high, safe places.
The study demonstrates that even simple sleeping positions may reflect deep brain processes that evolved as part of survival mechanisms.
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Cute and informative article.
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