I've never really thought about pets dreaming. But now that I think about it, there has been a time when I saw someone's pet doing what seemed to be dreaming.
I was walking home one day and I saw a dog sleeping. This dog kept making certain gestures even though it appeared to be sleeping. That was the first time it hit me that maybe animals could dream.
But I've always wondered, and I still do wonder what they they dream about. Certain times I wonder what it's like for pets to dream.
For the dog I came across dreaming, could it be that it was dreaming about another dog? It could be that it was dreaming about food because it kept bringing out its tongue. On the other hand, it could be that it was having a nightmare because it kept kicking the air.
As humans, when we dream, it's probably because our mind is still active. It creates scenarios even when we sleep. We see this as dreams. It's usually disturbing when we have nightmares. So I wonder how disturbed or scared pets are after having a nightmare. We can't communicate with them so we may not fully grasp what it's like.
It likely that some pets may get violent after a bad dream so it may not be advisable to approach them in that moment. On the other hand, they could get scared and need some comfort. Maybe if you understand your pet really well, you could figure out which one it needs.
Having said all these, there's also a possibility that pets don't dream. What if what I saw from that dog during my walk was just an unconscious movement?
To the best of my knowledge, I don't think there has been a confirmation to pets dreaming. Pets don't have the kind of brains humans have. Their brains are not as complicated as that of humans. They are not as intelligent as we are. So there may be no assurance that pets dream.
