Cat

Allergy to cats – Alley_cat

Black cat –

Catching mouse – Cattery – Claws

Fear of –

Group of cats –

Having Kittens –

Kitten –

Speaking

White – Wild

Because a cat is often an easy source of physical contact and affection it can depict the need to be cared for and warm affection, even sexual love accompanied with intense warm feelings.

You may have felt a lot of affection from a cat, and so associate it with sensual, or even sexual pleasure. It can also represent your need to care for someone or be cared for, to have close physical contact.

Example: ‘I went to the fridge to get out some mincemeat to feed the cat. It came in. As it fed I had a strong urge to touch it, such strong feelings of love were pouring out of me. The animal looked up at my face as I wanted to kiss it. The lips had pink lipstick on. I kissed it, it’s paw came up around my arm, I could see the black claws. We were rolling around on the floor, it felt very sexual.’ Monica.

A male cat can represent male sex drive.

For some women cats are a substitute baby, it is therefore used in many dreams to represent a woman’s urge or need to care for someone, or directly her need to reproduce, or be involved in sex. Therefore it is often used to signify a woman’s creativity, which is a very real part of a woman’s makeup. It is obviously linked with sexuality as that is a woman’s creative process, but it doesn’t have to be sexual as it can flow in any direction she chooses. The cat can therefore also link with refined female sexuality or ruttiness unless the cat is markedly a tom. See A Woman’s Creative Power

The term ‘catty’ refers to a spiteful woman, showing one’s ‘claws’, jealousy, anger or vindictiveness in a relationship. In this aspect it might refer to ones mother; independence; stealth; fertility. So if the cat in your dream is angry it might depict yourself if female, or feelings about a female friend.

Because cats are independent and often alone, they may represent the secret part of yourself, or independence. See: Kitten; Animal;

In a man’s dream it may refer to a woman or to the female, intuitive side of his nature. The cat can be your intuition and feelings, perhaps warning you, through its sensitivity to moods, or unseen dangers. In some dreams it indicates cattiness – showing one’s ‘claws’, jealousy, anger or vindictiveness in a relationship. It might refer to your mother, independence, stealth, or fertility.

In some dreams the cat definitely represents the fear of bad news or general fears, especially if it is a black cat.

If you have bred cats it may well represent your own, perhaps unconscious, desires to have a baby.

Jungians see the cat as representing a deep psychological secret, a hidden side of ones nature, the shadowy less obvious or outwardly displayed side of your nature. This is most likely because cats go about their business without any attempt to explain themselves or to accommodate us poor humans. Also they are creatures of the night very often, and live a dark life. Prior to the custom of neutering a cat and, in the US, removing its claws, this dark life was often very noisy and obviously sexual and aggressive. Left to itself the cat is a master predator

The cat is thought to have first been domesticated in Egypt about 2000 BC, and all modern cats are said to be descendents of them. The Egyptian name for cat was ‘miu’ or he or she who mews. Although the cat never became a fully acknowledged god figure as the jackal and hippo did, it was perhaps the most popular. She was known as Bastet or Bast, and a household goddess, the protector of women, children and domestic cats. She was also known as the goddess of sunrise, music, dance, pleasure, as well as family, fertility and birth.

But there was a negative side known as Sekhmet the goddess of war and pestilence, though later tamed by Ra to become the protector of humans.

EXAMPLE: My husband died over a year ago, and I live alone, no pets. Yet I dreamt I opened my front door and there was a cat waiting to be let in. It was my cat, and I knew I hadn’t fed it for ages or looked after it. I felt awful that I had neglected it for so long. The strange thing was that the next day as I walked around the supermarket, I kept wanting to go to the cat-food section to buy food. – Winnie P. – Exeter

In losing her husband Winnie has lost her source of given and receiving affection.

EXAMPLE: I was with a young boy and went to his house. I believe his mother was there and a cat. The vivid part was that the cat spoke to me. It spoke in a rather female voice, very clearly. As it spoke I felt great amazement. I had lots of thoughts about how it had learned language – that it could speak because of human language – what did language do to its psyche – and so on. I didn’t reach any conclusions. I noticed as it spoke that it had tiny lips, but they were perfectly formed like a woman’s. They had lipstick on – or at least were red and attractive. Ben.

Ben’s dream has a mixture of sexual attraction, femininity and the ability to express in it.

EXAMPLE: I am sitting in the hotel staff room eating lunch at a large dining table. One by one I am joined by perhaps a dozen women. The atmosphere is pleasant, easy and light hearted. I enjoy the feeling of being the only male among a dozen attractive women. Then I notice a strange thing. One by one all the girls around me turn into cats, but carry on laughing and talking as if nothing is happening. I find this interesting and not alarming. I am aware each girl turns into the sort of cat that is right for her – a vivacious redhead becomes a purring orange tabby; an aloof, slightly superior lady becomes a Siamese; the only ex-girlfriend of mine present becomes a black witches familiar.

I remember turning to my left and asking: “Tell me Rebecca, how did you do this?” The Rebecca cat giggles with a human voice and says: “He doesn’t have a clue, does he?” As I look at the Rebecca cat I realise she still has her human eyes. This I realise is true of all the cats, they have human eyes in feline faces. As I realise this one says: “I think he’s beginning to understand now” and laughs. Paul C. Teletext.

This graphic dream so well illustrates how our human personality exists within our animal drives and urges.

Example: I was with a young boy and went to his house. I believe his mother was there and a cat. The vivid part was that the cat spoke to me. It spoke in a rather female voice, very clearly. As it spoke I felt great amazement. I had lots of thoughts about how it had learned language – that it could speak because of human language – what did language do to it – and so on. I didn’t reach any conclusions. I noticed as it spoke that it had tiny lips, but they were perfectly formed like a woman’s. They had lipstick on – or at least were red and attractive. Ben.

Ben’s dream has a mixture of sexual attraction, femininity and the ability to express in it.

The next example illustrates how we might not be caring for the natural and instinctive side of us.

Example: ‘I am given an animal to look after, usually somebody’s pet while they are away on holiday. I then completely forget the animal, go away and when I return the animal is either dead or very dried up or has been got at by another animal and is in the throws of dying. When I wake from the dream I feel most dreadful and it is only when I am fully awake and realise it is not true do I feel better.’ Lynda E

Alley cat:: Sexuality; promiscuity; down on luck.

Black cat: Depends what dreamer associates with it – so may be good luck or bad luck and evil – i.e. events working for or against one; anxiety.

Cat’s claws: Spitefulness; desire to hurt; hidden aggression; clinging, or ‘getting ones claws in someone’.

Cat having kittens: Desire for or feelings about babies or ones own babyhood; fertility.

Cat Cattery: If it is a cattery for breeding it could refer to your feelings about having a baby – or if you breed cats then look at Easy Dream Interpretation. In general it suggest you are having a rest from, or not taking responsibility for your female qualities.

Cat catching mouse: A problem solving activity in you; cat and mouse situation in work or relationship.

Fear of cat: Fear of the female in oneself; fear of females; difficulty in meeting feelings and intuition; sense of danger. See: Animal phobias at the end of the animal section.

Group of cats: Group of women; relating to the different moods or feelings.

If allergic to cats: If you are allergic and dream of a cat it would signify a negative and threatening reaction to a situation or relationship.

Kitten: Feelings about vulnerability or babyhood; feelings about caring for someone or something vulnerable; parental urges, perhaps protectiveness.

Speaking cat: Ability to express feminine feelings, intuition or sexuality; a realisation of feelings of physical hunger or emotional or sexual attraction. See last example below.

White cat: Can represent your feminine intuition and a link with the natural beauty in you.

Wild cat: Stealth, ferocity, cunning, ability to survive.

See: First example under the general information at the end of the separate animal definitions.

Idioms: Copy cat; bell the cat; cat and mouse; cat’s whiskers; cat out of the bag; cat and dog life; cat on hot bricks; something the cat brought in; a cat’s paw; cat among the pigeons; while the cat’s away.

Useful questions are:

What is happening or what am I realising in my relationship with the dream cat(s), and how does that relate to my life?

If I take out the word ‘cat’ from my dream description, and replace it with what I feel about this cat, what would I write?

If there are elements of caring or love in this dream, am I looking after that side of my life?

If this is about a kitten, what are my feelings or desires about my childhood, or about a baby?

See Easy Dream Interpretation; Talking As; Processing Dreams