And Cats Are Dreaming

If you’ve ever watched your cat twitching, chattering or moving their paws while sleeping. You may have wondered if they are dreaming. The answer is yes. And Cats Are Dreaming!

And Cats Are Dreaming

The next time you want to tell someone you are “sleeping like a baby.” You better say “you are asleep as a cat.” Because, these “dangers” sleep between 13 and 16 hours a day. Meaning two-thirds of life is spent in the dream empire.

They sleep more than almost any other sister and twice as much as the average man. There is, however, the difference between the cats, and how much sleep will be, depends on age, hunger, temperature and time.

Source

There are two main types of sleep

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. During REM sleep, as the name suggest, the dreamer’s eyes move rapidly and randomly and their brain activity mirrors that of the animal when awake.

While the dreamer may appear quite active during this stage of sleep, they are very difficult to waken. Dreaming occurs mainly during this REM phase of sleep. Young animals spend more time in dream sleep than older ones, probably due to the need to process new information.

Source

Dreaming and Sleepwalking

We’re apt to read the slightest physical movements. Twitching paws or tail, quivering whiskers, as signs that our cats are dreaming. Sleepwalking cats, however, are another story altogether.

In reality, sleepwalking occurs only in brain. Damaged cats with lesions around the locus coeruleus in the brainstem.

Source

Killing stuff

Cats certainly spend their waking hours killing (or trying to kill) stuff. So it stands to reason that this topic would make it into their dreams. Those dreaming cats are trying to kill mice, they’re trying to kill birds.Your cat might even dream about trying to kill you!

Source

Avoiding threats

Did you give in to temptation and scare your cat with a cucumber recently? Maybe the poor thing is now having nightmares about what was apparently a very stressful experience. Or maybe she is just furiously attempting to outrun your neighbor’s pitbull.

Source

Just like humans

Of course, just like humans, the dreams of animals may not always be pleasant or based on realistic experiences. Nightmares and more unusual dreams may be our way of determining optimum ways to behave should that experience arise in our awakened hours.

Not that cats are likely to be worrying about sitting exams or finding themselves naked in public, unpleasant dreams that humans often experience! Like humans, cats are asleep longer when the day is rainy and sumptuous. They are most active at sunset and in the twilight, and although they are valid for nightlife, it is true that they are also sleeping, especially domestic cats.

Source