Cat question: Anyone had a kitty have a nightmare?

[ReverendDeuce]

Last night whilst the missus and I were watching American Horror Story, our kitty assumed her normal position on my lap for her "TV time nap". Stretched out across my lap with her head resting on my left arm. Totally normal thing. She'll sleep this way for an entire hour.

About 40 minutes into the episode, I started hearing her make a strange noise. The kind of noise a cat will make when it's getting annoyed at something: a very protracted "mmmrrrrrrrrr" sound, the "I am getting mad now stop it!" warning meow.

I had my wife pause the TV and she kept doing it. Her eyes were closed and I used my thumb to gently open one and her inner eyelid was shut. She was in a deep sleep! This went on for about 30 seconds and we decided we should wake her up. Speaking her name did no good and finally I shook her by the front shoulder until her eyes started to open. I saw the inner eyelid slide open and her head popped up and her irises fully opened. She stood up on my lap and was eyeballing the floor. Her fur puffed up (raccoon tail and stripe down the back) and she hopped down and started to investigate everything around the recliner. Behind it, under it, under the coffee table, under the end table; all the while her tail was puffed and sticking straight up.

I got up and followed her as she went on this ad-hoc patrol. Finally I bent down and petted her and she prairie-dogged a bit (went upright on her hind legs to get into the petting). I gave her a couple of her favorite Pounce treats and then she went right back over and started looking around the chair again but with less concern.

Five minutes later, she was back on the lap and completely relaxed.

I wonder what she was dreaming about that got her so worked up... Cats! Love 'em!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Cats dream; they've done a lot of research on REM sleep and dreams in animals.

So I'm sure some of their dreams would qualify as nightmares. I've never seen my cats do what you've described, but sometimes they twitch and mutter in their sleep. Yours was probably about something menacing under the furniture.

[ReverendDeuce]

2. I've read about the dreams as well...

But this was the first time I've ever seen a cat have this sort of behavior as well. It was adorable! Hopping around and looking for monsters under the furniture... LOL!

[Cosmic Kitten]

3. This Kitten had a nightmare...on election day!

Hey Reverend, that is kinda spooky.
Any chance that the soundtrack from the American Horror Story
was filing Kitty's subconscious?
I know that external noises will get incorporated into my dreams.
Maybe Kittens too?

BTW, long time lurker, first time poster.
Tuesday was my own American Horror Story.
Scary enough to get me to finally register ;~/

[ReverendDeuce]

5. Can cats even recognize music?

Nothing was really going on in the show. She just suddenly sounded very angry at something in her sleep.

It was so cute. I know I'm anthropomorphising it, but it was still adorable.

[Cosmic Kitten]

6. dunno about Kitties and music...

was just thinkin that maybe the sounds or noises from the teevee
might have had stuff that would alarm the Kitty.

Anywhoo, sounds adorable

[shenmue]

4. My dog used to

She used to rumble and kick her paws.

[csziggy]

7. My current kitty used to have nightmares when he was young

He was from a feral litter of kittens. When I adopted him, he was probably about 4-5 weeks old - too young to be away from his momma. I kept him close and cuddled him at night to keep him warm.

He'd have nightmares and cry the most plaintive mewling cries and suckle on my fuzzy electric blanket edge. He was over two years old before it stopped being a regular thing. Even today at almost 14 years old, if I get out a fuzzy blanket of any kind, he wants to cuddle with me and suckle on the blanket and he still sometimes has nightmares and cries.

I usually just stroke and cuddle him until he quiets down. Generally I try to not wake him because if I wake him in the middle of his bad dream he gets irritable and aggressive.

[Fla Dem]

8. Just recently my cat who sleeps at the bottom of my bed, woke me up making talking in her sleep

noises. After I woke up the talking went on for about 30 seconds more. Pitch dark in my bedroom, but by the light of the clock I saw her stand up and face me. I asked her if she had a bad dream. She mewed she had and then walked over and laid on my stomach. I petted her for a few minutes and asked her if she was ok now. She mewed yes, and went back to her sleeping spot.

[RebelOne]

9. I have a Chihuahua that I think has nightmares.

Sometimes she will howl and cry in her sleep, but never wakes up.

[mythology]

10. I had a cat who seemed to dream, but I think she was too self-confident to have nightmares

She would sort of meow and kind of paw about a bit. But she never feared anything, or thought that she wasn't in complete control of any situation.

I had a husky definitely had dreams. Some of them seemed like nightmares and if I woke him up, he would want to be comforted. But then there were the ones where he seemed to be running after something and would apparently catch it as he always seemed rather peaceful after those dreams. And since he once caught a grouse and ate it on the back porch, I'm guessing he was catching some sort of game. After his first owner thought feeding him was optional, he never got over the fear that he wasn't going to get a next meal. Even after being with us for years and getting more than a bit portly, he still ate everything he could, from the compost heap to the dead dove he found in the backyard.

[Wolf Frankula]

11. I have a Cat Who Dreamed He was a Dog.

He has developed allergies in his old age. He has sniffles and sneezes. He dreamed he could smell better than he ever could in his life, he could smell the cat food in the next house. Then he could hear the mousies in the next street. He says he looked and saw he had a big black beagle nose and long ears. He woke up and meowed to show he was still a cat.

Wolf

[sakabatou]

12. I don't know if my cat does

But our dog used to. We'd see him move his legs like he was running and bark.

[KT2000]

13. Yes!

My cat was sound asleep on my lap when all of a sudden she jumped straight up in the air and landed on the floor (on her feet of course). When she got her bearings she came back and fell asleep on my lap again.

Yep - Cats! Love 'em!

[nomorenomore08]

14. Mine was always a peaceful sleeper. In fact, he'd get irritated and start swatting me if I woke him.