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Anonymous Poster #1

Do Animals Dream?

07/07/2011 5:05 AM

Do animals dream? They definitely have good memory as they are able to recognise their keeper even if they have not seen him for a year or so. If so, is it possible for them to get dreams too?.

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Guru
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#1

Re: Animal dream

07/07/2011 5:09 AM

Yes of course they do, you can see cats or dogs with their whiskers twitching and their legs making tiny movements and they make quiet noises as they are obviously dreaming of the chase.
You can even make a cat dream, just stroke the tips of it's whiskes gently while it's asleep and about a minute later it will start to react (well our brains are rather furry so it takes a while).
Del

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#2
In reply to #1

Re: Animal dream

07/07/2011 10:24 AM

I tried to make my cat dream once... stroked his whiskers gently while he slept.

Retribution was swift and sure. It is a lesson that will not grow dim: Don't stroke my whiskers while I am sleeping, dummy!

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#3
In reply to #2

Re: Animal dream

07/07/2011 10:36 AM

gently..
oh forget it. Typical heavy handed man
Del

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#4
In reply to #3

Re: Animal dream

07/07/2011 11:35 AM

My cat is just grumpy... would not matter how gentle the whisker stroking was.

Do animals dream... Del and I have discussed cats and dogs, but insects are animals. As are fish, corals and sponges, bacteria (oops. Kingdom Bacteria, never mind)... you get the idea.

Dreaming, I think, only occurs during sleep. So by definition animals that do not sleep cannot dream. These guys may have a better considered answer.

This is an interesting, thought provoking discussion... I will sleep on it.

[edit] Oops! Following Del I marked this OT, but it is probably is a decent response to the OP. Oh, well.

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#5

Re: Do Animals Dream?

07/07/2011 11:41 AM

Are you kidding? Of course they we all do !

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#6

Re: Do Animals Dream?

07/07/2011 12:35 PM

Yes, How about Monkeys dreams of making Human?

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#7

Re: Do Animals Dream?

07/07/2011 1:54 PM

Domestic animals probably sleep as much as they want, therefore dream as much as they want. I know the animals are laughing at us. Or at least, when they get more sleep than we do...

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#8

Re: Do Animals Dream?

07/07/2011 2:34 PM

Hmm... Doorman raised an extremely interesting point. Sponges are animals; and I'm going to go out on a limb and state that I believe sponges don't dream. But as you move up and down the intellectual chain from both ends... at what point of "animal life" does the ability to dream begin? Is it only mammals? If so, does the most rudimentary mammal dream? What physiological trait of a brain is necessary to produce dreams? Is it pure intelligence that is the deciding factor? Does a lobster dream? What is the most intelligent of the insects? I'm guessing that birds do dream. Lizards? Fish? Is it the backbone that is the deciding factor? Perhaps that is it. All vertebrates dream. I imagine there has been a study somewhere. But I'm going to go with vertebrates.

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#9

Re: Do Animals Dream?

07/08/2011 4:34 AM

My girlfriend dreams of being a dog, chasing cats. All night growling and barking. JE

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