Remember the old English proverb: "Don't wake a sleeping dog"? After all, any folk wisdom is based on years of experience and often has scientific backing. So, in this case, it's really best not to disturb your pets while they're resting unless you want to cause trouble for both of them.
It is not safe for humans.
Pet sleep, like that of humans, can be divided into two phases. Immediately after falling asleep, a light sleep phase begins, characterized by calm breathing and a slow heartbeat. Interestingly, during these moments, a dog or cat can, to some extent, monitor their surroundings, hear sounds, and understand their location.
The second phase is deep sleep, or REM sleep, which lasts about 15 minutes. Experts believe this is when pets dream. Some animals even move their paws, sigh, whine, or meow softly.
Waking a dog or cat in deep sleep is extremely imprudent—the animal is completely disoriented at this point. A suddenly disturbed pet may become aggressive toward the unruly owner.
Remember, even the most loyal dog or cat won't immediately realize that their beloved owner is standing next to them. If something happens and you need to get up immediately, simply call the animal calmly, but under no circumstances yell or disturb it.
This is harmful to the pet's health.
Four-legged pets who are woken up by their owners at the wrong time for some reason can have just as many problems. Firstly, the animal will almost certainly experience mild stress. Furthermore, if this happens regularly, the cat or dog will begin to experience sleep deprivation.
Remember that dogs sleep for about half a day, while cats sleep for most of the day. Constant disruption to their rest schedule leads to weakness and deterioration in health, just like in humans. Please don't cause your loyal friends unnecessary trouble.
Scientists still haven't reached a consensus on whether to wake a cat or dog experiencing a nightmare. It's generally accepted that animals must go through all the sleep phases to fully recover. However, if you still want to help your pet, quietly call them. Once they realize where they are, try to convince them that the whole ordeal was just a dream.
Signs advise against doing this.
There are many amusing superstitions around the world related to sleeping animals. For some reason, folk wisdom from different countries unanimously forbids waking dogs and cats.
For example, the French believe that a man who wakes a cat will inevitably experience difficulties in his love life. Therefore, even if a Parisian isn't superstitious, he'll think twice before disturbing a resting pet.
In Russian culture, it's customary to treat loyal canine friends with reverence. They mustn't be woken, crossed, frightened, and especially not hit—it's believed that doing so will leave the cruel owner with no luck for three years. Serves him right!
