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Cats are one of the domestic animals that we can observe sleeping for hours and hours. Therefore, it is logical that, as tutors, we ask ourselves, at least at some point during your rest, if cats dream or have nightmares. Worry can appear, especially if we watch our feline move when it sleeps, and even make some sound, as if it were totally immersed in a deep dream.
In this article by Animal Expert we explain how is the sleep of cats. We cannot ask them directly whether they dream or what they dream about, but rather, we can draw conclusions according to the characteristics of their sleep. Understand below!
cats sleep
To try to find out if the cats dream or have nightmares, we can pay attention to how your sleeping periods are spent. Most of the time cats rest in a very frequent light dream (sleep). The human equivalent would be naps, except that cats take them at multiple times of the day. But this isn't the only kind of feline dream, although it's probably what we observe most of the time.
In this species, three types of dream can be differentiated:
- short nap
- Light sleep, sleeping a little longer
- Deep sleep
These phases alternate throughout the day. When a cat lies down to rest, it starts falling into a light dream for approximately half an hour. After this period, he reaches a heavier dream, which is considered a deep dream, which lasts about 6-7 minutes. Afterwards, the cat returns to a lighter sleep phase, which takes about 30 minutes. Remaining in this state until waking up.
This is the usual dream cycle of a healthy adult cat. Older and sick specimens, as well as younger ones, show some differences. For example, kittens less than a month old only experience the deep dream type. This lasts a total of 12 hours out of every 24. After a month, the puppies show the same behavior explained above about adult cats.
How many hours does a cat sleep?
We don't know what cats dream of, but it is easy to see, for any owner of a cat, that they sleep a lot of hours. Approximately, on average, a healthy adult cat sleeps between 14 and 16 hours a day. In other words, the time a cat sleeps quietly doubles the time recommended for adult humans.
The zoologist Desmond Morris, in his book on the behavior of cats, offers a clarifying comparison. According to their calculations, a nine-year-old cat has only spent 3 years of its life awake. The hypothesis to explain why this species can sleep so long throughout its life, unlike other predators, is, according to the expert, that cats are so good hunters, so efficient, that they can easily capture prey to meet your nutritional needs. This way they can rest for the rest of the day.
However, if our cat suddenly stops playing, interacting or washing and spends the whole day lying down, it is possible that he has a health problem. In this case, it is advisable to go to a veterinarian who can perform an examination to determine if we have a sick cat or a sleeping cat.
For more information, don't miss the article where we explain how many hours a cat sleeps a day and how to know if my cat is sick.
Cats dream?
If cats dream, the dream takes place in a specific phase of their rest cycle. This phase is the one that corresponds to the deep dream or REM or rapid eye movement phase. In this state the cat's body relaxes completely. We can detect this moment when the cat is lying on its side, fully stretched out. This is the moment when some signs appear that can make us think that the animal is immersed in a dream. Among the signs, we highlight the movement of the ears, paws and tail. You can also activate the muscles of the mouth with sucking movements and even vocalizations, purring and other sounds of different types. Another very characteristic movement is the movement of the eyes, which we can observe under the closed or half-open eyelids, while the rest of the body remains relaxed. In some cases, we can notice that the cat wakes up startled, as if returning from a nightmare.
In any case, all movements are therefore completely normal and physiological. They will be done by all cats, sometimes more and sometimes less. They are not a sign of pathology, nor is it necessary to intervene to wake up the cat. On the contrary, we have to ensure that our feline companion has comfortable, warm and sheltered places to rest, especially if several cats and animals of other species live in the same home that can be disturbed and make rest difficult.
cats' dreams
The possibility that cats dream or experience nightmares seems plausible according to scientific studies of brain function. After all, what they dream about concretely is subject to our interpretation. Unfortunately, it's impossible to answer that question, because at the moment, there is no way of knowing what cats dream of. If they dream of something, it's probably different from the dreams that humans experience, nevertheless, we insist, there are no studies that demonstrate what cats dream or whether they really can dream.
Do cats have nightmares?
Along the same lines as mentioned above, it is impossible to know if cats have nightmares or any kind of dreams. Sometimes we can observe that our cat wakes up in amazement and we believe the reason is a nightmare. Nevertheless, the reason could simply be that the cat noticed a sudden sound that we didn't hear.
If you want to read more articles similar to Cats dream?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.