Dreams are primarily a reflection of our waking life. The problems, conflicts, and emotions that we experience in our waking life get reflected in dreams.
To be more precise, dreams usually represent our unexpressed, unprocessed emotions. The things we don’t deal with in our waking life but should, get projected on our dream screen.
The ‘raw material’ the mind uses to construct dreams is mainly borrowed from our waking life. This means the more we are exposed to something, the more likely it will show up in our dreams.
Dreaming of animals
Animal dreams are common because humans have spent thousands of years with animals.
If you’re experiencing a threat in real life, your mind may have no other option than to show you a ‘being chased by a wild animal’ dream. This raw material for ‘threat’ is wired into our DNA.
The animals humans have domesticated also show up in dreams. Animals like dogs, horses, and cats. Again, because humans have spent, and continue to spend, a lot of time with these animals.1
Dreaming of many cats
To interpret your dream about multiple cats, you need to ask yourself three critical questions:
How do I view cats?
How were the cats behaving in the dream?
What was my dominant emotion in the dream?
Answering the above questions will put you in the best position to understand your dream.
How do you view cats?
Your culture may play a significant role in how you perceive cats. How people see cats varies from culture to culture. The common traits people associate with cats include:
- Beauty
- Protectiveness
- Good fortune
- Misfortune
- Tranquility
- Love
- Independence
- Femininity
- Elegance
- Grace
- Nurturing
- Gentleness
- Curiosity
- Agility
What traits do you agree with in the above list?
How were the cats behaving?
Cat dreams tend to be mostly positive.2
Cat owners who spend a lot of time with cats and cat lovers who may watch but don’t own cats are likely to see cat dreams.
Someone having little or no experience with cats won’t dream about them. They may be indifferent toward cats.
Positive dreams about multiple cats may include dreams where:
- The cats are relaxing around you
- The cats are playing around you
Negative dreams about cats may include dreams where:
- The cats are attacking you
- The cats are running wild
What was your dominant emotion in the dream?
The last and most crucial piece to the puzzle is how you felt when the dream played out.
The cats were relaxing around you
If you too were relaxed with them, this dream reflects your comfort level with cats.
If you felt uneasy, it may be a signal from your subconscious that you need more relaxation in your waking life.
The cats were playing around you
If you also felt playful, you’re probably going through a delightful phase in your life.
If you didn’t feel playful at all, the dream could be a message from your subconscious that you need to enjoy life more like those cats.
The cats were attacking you
The dominant emotion you’ll likely experience in this dream is fear.
You may have had a negative experience with cats before in your waking life, and the dream replays that.
The cats may represent a problem in your waking life that has been ‘attacking’ you.
If you notice the cats attacking you but you’re not scared, that would mean you’re not afraid to face the challenge you’re facing in your waking life.
The cats were running wild
Think about the mental state created in a person when they see multiple cats running wild. It’s pure chaos and overwhelm.
If you feel chaotic and overwhelmed in the dream, you may be feeling the same in your waking life. There may be too many things on your plate. Perhaps you’re going through a tumultuous phase in a close relationship.
It’s probably a signal from your mind that you need to take a step back.
References
- Schredl, M. (2013). Animal dreams in a long dream series. International Journal of Dream Research, 6(1), 59-64.
- Schredl, M., Bailer, C., Weigel, M. S., & Welt, M. S. (2021). Dreaming about cats: An online survey. Dreaming, 31(3), 279.
Hi, I’m Hanan Parvez (MA Psychology). I’ve been writing about Psychology for 9+ years. My work has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Reader’s Digest, and Entrepreneur. If you have any queries, use the contact form or reach out to me on my socials.