Can Pets Dream?
It is one of the issues that has always fascinated human beings. Often, when you observe your dog or cat sleeping, you notice small twitching, twitching and even squealing. As if it were chasing prey, playing or running. But is this enough to say that pets can dream?
In this article, we will not only try to shed some light on the subject, but we will try to give a practical explanation to the strange movements that cats and dogs make, when they are apparently sleeping. Our in-depth path will even lead us to identify analogies between human sleep and that of our beloved four-legged friends.
Pets can dream
Yes, dogs can dream as much as we humans can. Firstly, because the two brains are structurally very similar and, above all, the brain waves produced show very similar patterns at the moment of sleep.
Most dreams are based on activities or experiences that are realized during the day. What did your pet do today? Perhaps he is reliving a fun or enjoyable moment. When you have played together or discovered something interesting in the park.
Or maybe he ‘s trying to chase a squirrel, bug, or simple ball. From a scientific point of view, it has been amply demonstrated that laboratory mice dream. With cats and dogs being much smarter than these, the evidence is clear enough. Pets can dream. Scientists believe that the subject of dreams is, generally, activities similar to those carried out during the day, just as it happens in humans.
Deirdre Barret is a clinical psychologist and professor at Harvard Medical School . This well-known luminary gave an interview to People magazine , in which he talked about what is known about the world of dreams in animals.
Barrett developed a theory shared by many. “Humans dream of things that interest them, only in a more visual and less logical way,” said the psychologist. “There is no reason to think that the animal mind acts in a totally different way. Dogs possess brain characteristics that are very similar to humans. They can dream of faces, smells, feel pleasure or discomfort, ”he added.
Why do dogs move when they sleep?
You may have noticed that there are times when your pet is particularly active and nervous while sleeping. This is precisely a consequence of the fact that they can dream. Now the question is: do they do the same things as us humans?
Dogs have two main stages of sleep:
- First phase : slow wave sleep, lighter;
- Second phase: REM, deep sleep with increased brain activity.
The brain activity of a sleeping dog is very similar to that received while awake, resulting in unconscious physical activity. Your pet moves but does not realize it, because it is in a phase of deep sleep. Another interesting curiosity is that puppies and senior dogs seem to dream more.
Curiosities about pet sleep
Younger cats sleep around 16 hours a day, and older cats can sleep up to 20 hours. Have you ever wondered why cats sleep so much? In the past, cats used most of their energy to hunt and feed, so they needed plenty of sleep to regain energy.
The duration of a dog’s dreams depends on its breed and size. Large dog breeds may dream for longer periods of time, but they do so less often. Puppies can have adventures of just one minute, but they can have a new dream every 10 minutes.
Cats can snore and some breeds are more prone to this, such as Persians and the Himalayas. But any cat can snore if it lies in a position where its airways are partially blocked by the skin on the soft palate.
Very similar to us
Like humans, cats love to take a nap when it’s raining or bad weather. This applies to both domestic and wild cats. Don’t be surprised if he yawns and sleeps longer when the forecast indicates that it is about to rain.
Dogs sleep in many positions depending on what stage of sleep they are in. Sometimes, when sleeping on his back, it is possible to see the animal moving its four legs at the same time, as if it were running. It’s a fun show and proves that your pets are dreaming too.
