But, is it correct to say that pets actually dream?
The Science Behind Why Pets Dream
When a person dreams, he or she is in a state of REM or Rapid Eye Movement, the deepest stage of sleep. There are several explanations for why REM sleep is necessary – from being the restorative stage of sleep to offering the brain a way to organize and process the events of the day.
According to studies, cats and dogs also seem to experience the REM stage of sleep, exhibiting muscle twitches, faster breathing, and vocalization.
The area of the brain that is connected with dreaming is called the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory. Since memory is necessary for learning and survival, this portion of the brain is close to identical in all mammals and vertebrates.
By observing behavior and analyzing electrical patterns within the hippocampus, many scientists believe that other animals appear to have the capacity for dreaming.
For example, a 2007 MIT study that analyzed the electrical and chemical activity of a rat’s brain during a maze exercise noticed the activity was replicated exactly during REM sleep. In fact, by looking at the activity of the neurons, they could even tell where the rat happened to be in the maze, while he was dreaming.
The mystery, however, is whether or not animal dreams are as complex or function in a similar way to how we dream. For example, is Freckles the dog recollecting the behaviors that have already been performed during his day, or is he capable of dreaming of imaginary scenarios?
Deciphering Dreams and Dreaming Animals
Ask any observant pet owner about their four-legged friend’s dreams and you may get a number of speculations: Patches must be chasing a squirrel again; Fluffy caught the bird; or, Max is running after a burglar.
While these may make for fun little stories about the minds of our fur friends, there is a lot of debate about the subject.
And, some biologists are making it their life’s work.
Biologist Daniel Margoliash from the University of Chicago has been studying REM sleep in birds like zebra finches. It is his belief that birds use the dreaming state to practice behaviors they require each day, such as singing, rather than simple recollection.
Author of Do Dogs Dream?, Stanley Coren, proposes that animals not only dream but they likely dream more than we do out of the sheer fact that they sleep more. He also affirms what most pet owners suspect, that the dreams of cats and dogs are probably based on a complex retrieval of activities (like that daily dog walk to the park) and memories within their scope of behavior.
Unfortunately, we may never know exactly what pets dream about – only that they do. And, part of the enjoyment for us is in watching them have such fun and exciting adventures while getting their Zzzs.
Have you observed your pet dreaming? What do you think he or she dreams about? The Seven Hills Veterinary Hospital team would love to know.
Sweet dreams!