Cats can dream just like humans can, but what do they dream about?
While this may ordinarily be a mystery, one cat on TikTok recently went viral for their nocturnal activities, and it's very clear what the subject of their dreams might be.
In the video posted by @mittentheruthless, Mitten the white cat can be seen sleeping, while his owner waves a Pop Tart near his nose. Instead of waking up, Mittens begins "chewing in his dream," according to the text.
"I thought the smell of the poptart would wake him up but he just started chewing in his dream," reads the text.
It is generally believed by experts that cats can in fact dream, and according to neuroscientist and medical researcher Michel Jouvet, cats can experience rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, "so it's extremely likely that they enter dreamland in a similar way that we do," report Purina.
"Cats have a similar low voltage of electrical activity in the brain, tend to twitch their eyes and have a relaxed muscle state, which are all the characteristics associated with REM sleep in humans," Jouvet found.
"Where this doesn't completely answer the question of do cats dream, the evidence clearly suggests that there's something going on in their brain during sleep," said Purina.
What Do Cats Dream About?
While the scope of human dreams can range from the mundane to the down right strange, cats are slightly more limited.
"When cats experience REM sleep, they tend to move their heads as though they're following or watching something," report Purina, "So, it's likely that when our furballs are curled up snoozing, that they're probably dreaming about their favorite pastime—hunting."
They also may dream about something that's happened that day, or in the recent past such as "snuggling with you on the sofa, hunting a bird or mouse or may be dreaming about an incident that occurred with another cat or dog."
The Flehmen Response is a behavioral response to certain stimuli, usually odors, that enable cats to learn certain details that are carried through smell.
"It's a voluntary response, meaning the animal deliberately exhibits the behavior (as opposed to involuntary responses, such as salivating in response to food or pupils dilating when anxious or stressed)," explains PetMD.
The video gained over 500,000 views and 129,000 likes, as well as hundreds of comments.
"When a cat is enacting the flehmen response, they will typically hold their mouth open. This allows air to pass through their vomeronasal organ (also called the VNO or Jacobson's organ)."
"I'm glad my cat isn't the only one who likes poptarts," commented one user. "THIS IS SOOOO CUTE," commented another user.
One user suggested: "Cats open their mouths to smell better so it may have been a subconscious want to smell it more and 'taste' it."
Newsweek has reached out to @mittentheruthless via email for comment.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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