Your cat’s asleep, their tail is gently swaying, and their paws are twitching. Deep in the land of nod, are they dreaming and what are they dreaming about? Can cats dream and can cats have nightmares?

So, what do cats dream about? Chasing their feline friends or enemies, catching a mouse, or dreaming of new and inventive ways to wreak havoc, in their own cute and unique way, obviously. Let's take a closer look at cat sleep and the dreams they have.

Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

Cats sleep multiple times a day rather than over one long period. An average cat nap lasts 15-30 minutes but can be anything up to 2 hours. It’s thought that having a nap lowers their stress levels and increases their alertness.

Most cats have a total of 12-20 hours of sleep a day. As a cat enters its senior years, they’ll need more sleep than when they were younger. Cats need sleep to enable their body to repair and rebuild from all that jumping, climbing, and chasing.

Cats are naturally nocturnal, meaning they sleep more during the day than at night. But most domestic cats have adapted to match the sleeping habits of their owner, so will have most of their deep sleep at night. There are still some domestic cats who prefer to be outside hunting at night and then curled up asleep indoors during the day.

Cat Sleeping Cycles

Like humans, cats have a circadian rhythm, which is an internal body clock that guides sleep-wake cycles. A human’s sleep cycle is diurnal, meaning we have one “peak of activity” and therefore stay awake during the day and sleep at night, whereas cats are crepuscular.

This means they experience two peaks, one in the morning at dawn and one in the evening at dusk. This is when you’re mostly likely to find your cat having a skittish moment, running around the house and climbing up everything!

It’s suggested that cats are like this due to their predatory natures, as it allows them to prey on birds and rodents which have different sleep cycles.

Three Stages of Cat Sleep:

Light Sleep Phase: they’re relaxed but easily disturbed. They’ll respond to noises and movement around them and are ready to pounce at any moment. When woken from light sleep, your cat will be immediately active and alert.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep: this is when your cat’s brain will be processing and reacting to the day’s events. Brain activity is similar during REM sleep to when awake. You’ll notice your cats' eyes moving behind closed eyelids. Sometimes you may see their eyes partially open with their third eyelid partially covering, and their pupils darting around.

Their body may go limp due to a loss of muscle control, and parts of their body may twitch. REM sleep makes up most of your cat’s sleep time and occurs within 20 minutes of them falling asleep. REM stages usually last 2-3 minutes.

Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep: this is an important deep sleep phase where your cat’s body repairs and regenerates. Kittens need more NREM sleep than adults as their bones and muscles are still growing. You may hear your cat snoring during NREM or REM sleep.

Cat's continuously run through these three stages until they wake up from their sleep.

Do Cats Dream?

In humans, dreaming occurs during REM sleep and as we know cats experience REM sleep, it’s highly likely that they dream too. They also have similar brain structures to humans and show a high amount of electrical activity in their brain during sleep. 

When we sleep our bodies rest and recover from the day's activities and our minds process the day’s events. REM sleep in cats is a time for them to think about everything that they’ve experienced that day. So, if they've managed to chase or catch prey then it’s likely that's what your cat’s dreaming about.

Do Cats Have Nightmares?

Yes, it’s believed that cats have nightmares just like humans do. If your cat is twitching, whimpering, growling or crying then it’s likely your cat’s having a nightmare. Never try to wake your sleeping cat during bad dreams as they’ll be confused and may lash out at you.

It’ll also disturb their natural sleep cycle, which they won’t thank you for. It's hard to watch them feel distressed but remember that no real harm will come to them during a nightmare. They may wake up and appear distressed, in which case they’ll appreciate a cuddle to make them feel safe and loved again.

A cat’s dream is based on the day’s events, so if something has scared them or made them feel stressed it could lead to a nightmare. If you want to prevent a nightmare from happening, try to ensure they’ve had a good day with no nasty surprises!

If you notice your cat twitching when in deep sleep, it’s likely your cat is dreaming! They could be dreaming about anything that has happened to them that day, good or bad! If your cat is growling, whimpering or crying then they could be having a nightmare.

Try not to wake your cat when they’re asleep as they need the rest for their body to be able to rebuild and repair. Make sure your cat always has somewhere quiet and cosy to retreat for a peaceful sleep.

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Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Felis - www.vetlexicon.com/treat/felis

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.