Narcolepsy is a chronic nervous system disease with arousal sleep disorder. Its specific pathogenesis is unclear and it is difficult to treat by traditional Chinese and western medicines. Animal models are important to study the neuropathological mechanism and potential treatment of paroxysmal narcolepsy. This article summarizes the preparation method, evaluation, and application scope of existing animal models of paroxysmal narcolepsy to provide a reference for basic experimental research of the disease. It also provides ideas to optimize the preparation of paroxysmal narcolepsy animal models.