Do cats dream?

A little while ago I was looking into why cats sleep so much and I learned that, like humans, cats go through REM sleep. REM sleep is when we as humans have dreams, so it is thought to be likely that cats also dream during REM sleep. But, what do cats dream about? Do cats have bad dreams? 

Without being able to ask a cat about their sleep, we can't know for sure if cats have dreams, but Cats.com mentions a study done on rats that looked at their brainwaves while they were asleep and while awake. It found that the rats have similar brain activity when they asleep than they did while going through a maze, which suggests that they dreamed during REM sleep. From that, scientists speculate that animals experience sleep much like we do - dreams and all! 

Catster.com also mentions a study done specifically on cats in the 1960's by Michel Jouvet where he determined that cats seem to enter a dream state during REM sleep, much like humans. 

But, what do cats dream about? 

The Michel Jouvet study provides some clues. In it, they removed part of the brainstem of cats (not a research technique that we would encourage today!) This part of the brain usually restricts body movement while you are asleep. Without it, the cats bodies moved around during sleep, allowing researchers to guess at what they were dreaming about. Catster.com reports that some of the cats had fierce body movements that suggested they dreamed that they were being chased, even lasting 1 or 2 minutes. 

Until we can get cats to start dream journals, there's no way to know exactly what they are dreaming abut, but Cats.com notes the senior veterinarian at Chewy, Dr. Katy Nelson, explains that during non-REM sleep, our brains take images from the day and rearranges them into dreams. Then during REM sleep, we "watch" those dreams. They might not always be arranged in a manner that makes sense, and they might have some fantastic element built in, like maybe you can fly, but the research suggests that these distortions don't effect brain activity. 

Extending from that, it's likely that cats dream about things from their day as well. That could include their favorite toys, that squirrel they saw out the window, other pets in the home, and yes, probably you too! Humans often dream of people they care about, so it's reasonable to think that your cat's dreams would include you! 

Do cats dream in color? 

Rover.com says that cats probably do dream with the same color spectrum they see while awake. It is believed that cats can see blue and green the best and that shades of red are more muted, so they see colors, but not the same way we do. It makes sense to me that what a cat sees in a dream would be consistent with the way cats see the world around them, so their dreams would likely also include blue and green, but be more neutral when it comes to reds and pinks. 

Do cats have nightmares? 

We may never know for sure, but you may see your cat actively moving in their sleep, and then startle awake, leading you to think that maybe they were having a bad dream. But, what do cats have nightmares about? Going back to the Michel Jouvet study, one possiblity is that they dreamed they were being chased. Catster.com lists some other possiblities that might be the stuff of nightmares for cats - fighting with another cat or dog,  hunting prey, or missing a leap and falling. They mention that falling is a common nightmare for humans, and with their penchant for climbing and jumping it may be that falling could be a common nightmare for cats as well.

Cats.com notes that if you see your cat moving in their sleep and suspect they are having a bad dream, it's best to let them keep sleeping. A cat who is having a bad dream might react with aggression if they are suddenly awakened before they realize what is going on. To slightly tweak the old expression - it's best to let sleeping cats lie!