Do Cats Dream?
Nothing conveys a warm, cozy feeling more than the proverbial sight of the cat curled up and sleeping on argue in front of the fire. Cats do sleep a lot - 16 to 18hours a day, from 66 to 75 percent of each 24-hourperiod. Just how much cats sleep depends on their environmen (and how much companionship is avail-able. Cats left on their own tend to sleep more than those who have company.
They will choose to sleep in any of many locations, but they are usually particularly attracted to soft, warm locations such as beds. Cats will move their sleeping spot with the sun to help counteract the slight fall in their body temperature when they are asleep.
Sleeping cats have been studied with electroencephalograms (EEG) which read their brain activity. Phases of deep sleep and light sleep have been distinguished. During the day, sleep periods are light. The muscles are not totally relaxed, and the cat wakes periodically after only several minutes of sleep. This type of sleep, which makes up approximately 70percent of cats’ sleep time, gave rise to the term “catnaps,” meaning brief periods of sleep.
After light sleep of up to about 30 minutes, cats may enter a deep sleep phase, which is revealed by a change in the EEG pattern. The eyes move rapidly in brief bursts during this deep sleep, although the eyelids remain closed. Because of such eye activity this deep
Sleep is also known as “rapid eye movement” (REM) sleep. About 30 percent of cats’ sleep is REM sleep. Periods of REM sleep alternate with light sleep once the cycle has started.
During REM sleep there is external evidence, in addition to the eye movement, that cats do dream, or at least have semiconscious experiences similar to human dreams: there are changes in body posture, movement of paws and claws, twitching of whiskers, flicking of the ears, and in some cases, vocalization.
In deep sleep cats’ brains are as active as when they’re awake, and their senses are just as alert for incoming stimuli. So don’t n-v to poke at cats or pull their tails while they are napping - they will respond accordingly. This applies to positive stimuli as well; try waving a dish of your cat’s favorite food under its nose while it’s sleeping.
Whether cats dream or not, REM sleep is unimportant biological function, and REM-sleep-deprived cats “catch up” on REM sleep as soon as they have a chance.