Psychologist reveals what cats and dogs really dream about

By Patrick Jones, Buzz60

Who hasn't looked at their pet cat or dog and wondered what they're dreaming about? We may now have an answer.

Dr. Deirdre Barrett, a Clinical and Evolutionary Psychologist from Harvard Medical School, spoke with People magazine and said that cats and dogs enter a cycle of sleep called REM, or rapid eye movement, much like when humans dream. She said that makes it a good guess that cats and dogs dream as well.

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Dr. Barrett observed the animals' body movements during sleep and their general behaviors when awake.

Feeling sleepy? So are these adorable cats and dogs:

Cats and dogs sleeping
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Cats and dogs sleeping
A little Beagle puppy is sleeping
Sleeping beagle on sofa
Miniature long haired daschund puppy asleep on bed
Saint Bernards Sleeping
Sleeping dog
Beagle Dog Sleeping
Dog lying on bed, elevated view
Labrador puppy (Canis lupus familiaris) sleeping
Sleeping Poodle puppy
Three Akita Inu puppy dogs sleeping at yellow towel
Usa, New York State, New York City, Portrait of French Bulldog sleeping on sofa
Sleeping Poodle puppy
Puppy sleeping
Pug, pug, sleeping in chair
kitten and puppy sleeping
Dogs and cats sleeping together.
couple of dogs in love sleeping together under the blanket in bed
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Sleeping pugs resting in sun.
Cat sleeping
Cat sleeping on the couch.
Cute British shorthair kitten
The kitten which takes a nap
kitten and puppy sleeping
Sleeping Kitten
Cat sleeping on bed
A tabby cat sleeping on a window sill.

She said cats stalked, pounced and arched their backs during REM sleep, making her believe they are probably dreaming of hunting mice.

Meanwhile, Dr. Barrett says dogs dream about us!

Dogs tend to move lightly as they sleep which suggests they're dreaming about playing and hanging with their humans. She added that dogs are generally attracted to their owners and likely dream about their owner's face and smell.

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