Can dogs/cats have nightmares?

I assume when my kittty sleeps like this, this happily, he dreams of murder.
I guess your beagle, if having nightmares, is dreaming of you moving far far away and never coming home. That would make any dog sad.

 

Hmm. Sure, we'll go with that.

 

He does have a rather preoccupied, anxious look about him. Has there been a change in home situation or routine lately that could be stressing him?

Conversely my kitty is very good at slapping/pawing me awake when i mumble in my sleep.

 

Lots of dogs (not sure about cats) twitch in their sleep. Mine does, we generally just assume in his dream he's chasing a cat or a rabbit or something. In fact I've seen one dog twitch so badly in his sleep he breaks out into full blown running and his legs flail everywhere, still sleeping. It's natural ^_^

 

well dogs dream: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BgjH_CtIA
so why couldn't they have nightmares? then again, dogs don't seem to get scared or sad that often so who knows.

 

Yes, cats can have nightmares. Mine woke up from one while sleeping next to me one night. It must have been a bad one, because he took off and left a huge gash down my arm with his back claws.

 

Probably something like coming to their senses after a long chase, noting the unfamiliar surroundings, and attempting to find their way home. Not unlike certain higher primates.

 

A Democrat cat nightmare: