15/02/2026
🌙 LIMESVET Curiosity Series — Part 3
Do animals dream?
Pet parents often ask: when a dog “runs” in its sleep or a cat quietly meows during a nap… are they dreaming?
🔬 The answer: yes.
Multiple studies have shown that the sleep cycle of mammals is very similar to that of humans.
The classic REM sleep research conducted by Michel Jouvet in the 1960s was the first to demonstrate dream-like activity in cats during the REM phase.
Later, neuroscientific studies by Matthew Wilson and Kenway Louie (MIT, 2001) showed that dogs and rodents replay their daytime experiences during sleep — providing clear evidence of the neural basis of dreaming.
🐶 What might they dream about?
Most likely their daily experiences: play, running, learned tasks, interactions with their owners.
🧠 Why does this matter?
Dreaming plays an important role in learning and neurological regeneration, meaning that good sleep quality contributes to overall health and wellbeing in animals.
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/animals-dream-too-heres-what-we-know