Written by Olivera Jancikin, Content Writer
When you see your cat twitching her toes or whiskers throughout the night, there is a high chance that she is dwelling in dreamland. Kittens dreaming is no news to most of us, but there is a lot that goes in that little head of theirs through this particular process.
Much like us, their sleeping patterns involve different periods and cycles of dreaming. What’s more interesting, though, is that it turns out that cat’s dreams are far from being random. So, with this said, let’s have a look at the characteristics of their sleep and dream and find out what is it that causes common cat tremors while dreaming.
Do Felines Dream?
Cats can dream. Obviously – that’s the shortest answer. Now, it is important to understand that felines use the time during their sleep to quickly restore their energy and get ready for the next hunt. Of course, domesticated cats don’t hunt for their food, but they do tend to sleep for the most of the day.
In this regard, sleep is critical for the felines to survive and to be in a proper health condition. What is more, they tend to store information throughout the entire day. This information is being suspended on their neurons, and this leads us to the next question.
Learn More: Why Do Cats Sleeps So Much?
What Do Felines Dream About?
Felines are quite organized, believe it or not. It’s easy to compare your cat’s brain to a post office – when you visit the post office during the night, it is temporarily closed for visitors. However, the workers are readily organizing the mail in the back, making sure that it gets delivered on time. Well, the same thing happens to your kitty friend while it is dreaming.
When the feline fellow sleeps, he is recalling the day and organizing it categorically. This is quite interesting. So, if we are having dreams which are completely disconnected, our cats, on the other hand, are putting together the entire day to see the big picture.
Do They Have Nightmares?
Naturally, just as it is with us, it is completely normal for the dreams of your feline friend to be associated with a bad event throughout the day. Their dreams, after all, as we determined, are based on realistic experiences, and there’s nothing strange about your cat having a nightmare.
However, there are a couple of things to consider here. If you see your feline friend sassing and making uncontrolled movements while dreaming, waking it up might not be your best idea. The chances are that you’d get scratched or bitten or worse. It is just as in humans – they won’t know what is happening in the first few moments after they wake up and protection is pretty much their go-to instinct.
REM sleep in Cats
Throughout this particular cycle, the eyes of the cat are moving very randomly and quickly. This is when the brain of the cat mirrors the activity of when the animal is awake. Even though it might seem like your cat could be easily woken up throughout this phase, this is rarely the case.
What’s more interesting, though, is that older cats tend to spend less time during this phase compared to young ones as they don’t need to process as much new information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Some Felines Twitch?
Cats, just as dogs, are twitching involuntary – it’s not on purpose. Their brain, usually during the REM cycle, sends similar signals as if the cat is awake, causing movements which are associated with what the kitty is currently dreaming of.
Do cats dream about their owners?
Yes, cats dream about their owners and they do so quite commonly. As we mentioned, they recall the entire day while they sleep to organize it conveniently.
Do felines dream of color?
That’s a little hard to determine with absolute certainty, even though it is highly likely. Cats can see colors, just as humans, and that’s why it is rather likely for them to be able to dream in colors as well.
Do they sleepwalk?
The chances are that you probably won’t see your kitty walking in its sleep. However, you can see hear nightmares meowing or twitching uncontrollably.
How big are their brains?
The most standard brain of a domesticated cat is about 5 centimeters in length, and it is going to weigh about 25 to 30 grams.
Conclusion
As you can see, our feline friends do dream, and it’s not random at all. Unlike dogs and humans, cats are using this time to reorganize the day they’ve gone through. This is also why they are known to remember.
Even though it’s unlikely that cats hold grudges as most people tend to believe they do, the chances are that they do remember certain events which took place in the past. Through their sleep, they are capable of organizing them conveniently and storing them properly.
So, the next time you see your feline twitching or meowing while sleeping, don’t hurry up to wake it up – you’d be making a mistake. The better thing for you to do is to go ahead and let it pass as this is something completely natural.
Olivera Jancikin
Content Writer
About Author
Olivera is a content writer for Sleep Advisor and is enthusiastic about sleep. She firmly believes in the benefits of daytime naps on top of getting a full 8-hour sleep at night.
Combination Sleeper
Sources and References:
- Do cats dream? – purina.com.au
- Cats are excellent sleepers, but do they dream the way humans do? – pawculture.com