Do Cats Dream? Exploring Feline Dreams and Dreamscape
Is our feline friend experiencing something amiss? In reality, our kitty is simply dreaming. Let's delve into the mysteries of our feline companions' dreams together:
Do cats dream?
Indeed, they do! All mammals share similar sleep characteristics;
Psychologists divide human sleep into five stages, with one of them being the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage. During this stage, the body becomes limp, but the eyes move rapidly from side to side, breathing becomes irregular, and the limbs may twitch in an uncoordinated manner. Whether humans or cats dream, it happens during the REM stage.
Can cats dream about their human companions, like us?
Of course! The content of a cat's dreams is often linked to their daily experiences, much like ours. Scientists who have studied the brain waves of cats during REM sleep have observed wave patterns similar to those during the cat's hunting moments. This suggests that our cats might be hunting in their dreams.
Do cats have nightmares?
Yes, they can! It's not hard to understand why. Since cats' dreams are similar to those of all mammals, it's natural for them to have nightmares too. For instance, the arguments between their human parents might be terrifying dreams for them.
Should we wake our cat up when we see them dreaming?
It's generally best not to. If we disturb them during this time, they might suddenly awaken, possibly even getting startled and accidentally harming us.
Now that you've read this, you can rest easy. Those twitching muscles and other movements you see when your cat is sleeping are likely just signs of dreaming.
