Background

What are pet dreams about?

The DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon insights from 1,200 dream symbols in over 200,000 dreams. Let’s see what the data has to say about pet dreams.

The word cloud above shows the words that are specifically associated with pet dreams. These are the words that make pet dreams unique compared to all other dream symbols. Just examining the graph and reading the words of pet dreams can be illuminating about show pets affect our dreams. Be sure to check out the example pet dreams at the bottom of the page.

The circular bar chart above shows how pets in a dream will affect dream content as compared to other dream symbols. Higher bars indicate that pet is more related to the specific symbol in the graph. Lower bars indicate that pet is less related to the specific symbol in the graph. Specifically, pet dreams have more peers than 99.8% of dream symbols, more animals than 99.5% of dream symbols, and more home than 91.6% of dream symbols. On the other hand, pet dreams have less strangers than 95.6% of dream symbols, less unnamed people than 93.1% of dream symbols, and less human-made places than 92.2% of dream symbols. Notably, dreams of pets are very social! Pet dreams contain more characters tan 90% of all other dream symbols. Dreams, in general, are very social. There are people or characters in almost every dream, so it is notable that pet dreams have are so social. Every dream is unique. These are general patterns observed in an analysis of over 200,000 dreams. This analysis is a tool to help you make sense of your dreams. It is best to look at the differences. See how your dream of pets is different than dreams of pets in general.

3.4%

of dreams have pets

How common are pet dreams?

3.4% of dreams have the pets symbol within the dream. That's about 1 out of every 30 dreams. Considering all the dream symbols, it is relatively common.

Identification

How are pet dreams identified?

This symbol is identified by words like my cat, my dog, and pet. This symbol is part of summary dream symbols characters and peers.

Most related

What is most related to dreams of pets?

Pets dreams are notable because they have substantially more animals, seeing a dead pet, dogs, dead dogs, cats, Gimli, orange cats, dead cats, hamsters, small dogs, white dogs than 95% of other dream symbols.

Least related

What symbols least related to dreams of pets?

Pets dreams are notable because they have substantially less baboons, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Uranus, emaciation, Ron Weasley, Gandalf, Legolas, C-3PO, Han Solo than 95% of other dream symbols.

Deep dive into pet dreams

Get an overview of characters, emotions, places, events, dream events, and senses in pet dreams.

Who is in dreams of pets?

Who is in dreams of pets?

Pet dreams are much more related to animals and much more related to peers than dreams in general. They are much less related to unnamed people, less related to fantastic beings, and much less related to strangers.

much more than usual
the same as usual
much less than usual
less than usual
much less than usual
much more than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
What are the emotions in dreams of pets?

What are the emotions in dreams of pets?

Dreams of pets are more related to love than dreams in general. They are less related to happiness, less related to embarrassment, and less related to confusion.

less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual
more than usual
Where do dreams of pets take place?

Where do dreams of pets take place?

Pet dreams are much more related to home than dreams in general. They are less related to work, much less related to human-made places, and less related to transportation.

much more than usual
less than usual
much less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
What happens in dreams of pets?

What happens in dreams of pets?

Dreams of pets are more related to death than dreams in general. They are less related to aggressive acts, less related to friendly acts, and less related to sex.

less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
less than usual
How do dreams of pets related to the type of dream it is?

How do dreams of pets related to the type of dream it is?

Dreams of pets are more related to bad dreams and more related to sad dreams than dreams in general. They are less related to lucid dreams and less related to vivid dreams.

less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
more than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
How do dreams of pets related the senses?

How do dreams of pets related the senses?

Dreams of pets are less related to hearing, less related to smelling, and less related to taste.

less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual

How can you make sense of pets in dreams?

Pet dreams are relatively common. Among other things pet dreams are very social. Do you think this is true for your dream of pets? How might your dream of pets be different?

All dreams have meaning

All dreams have meaning

You can gain insight from thinking about any dream, no matter how strange. Only you, as the dreamer, have final say on what your dream may or may not mean. Each dream is unique.

Look for the differences

Look for the differences

The DreamWell dictionary provides information on how each dream symbol appears in dreams in general. Finding how experience pets in dreams can be a key to understanding its meaning.

Return to the feelings

Return to the feelings

Our emotions in dreams can help us understand its meaning. Pay attention to how you felt in the dream. Pay attention to how you feel about pets in dreams. See how you feel about pets now, in your waking life.

An interpretation of pet dreams

An interpretation of pet dreams

This interpretation is from ""The Dream Interpretation Dictionary: Symbols, Signs, and Meanings" and is provided by J.M. DeBord aka "RadOwl". He is the author of several acclaimed books about dreaming, the host of The Dreams That Shape Us podcast, and is a moderator of r/Dreams, one of the largest dream sharing communities on the internet. In this entry we will discuss “pet” in the senses of “family pet” and “petting.” Pets are associated with friendship and companionship, and qualities such as loyalty and trust. But the possibilities expand far and wide when you consider the characteristics and traits of your pet, what the animal means to you, and ways it can be used to tell a story. Your pets can be used 10,000 ways to create symbolism, so covering all of them isn’t possible. However, the interpretation process begins the same way as with any dream character. What are your associations with the pet? What do you observe about its personality and character? Does the dream show any obvious discrepancies with reality, such as an animal presented as your pet when in reality you don’t recognize it? How does the character fit the story? For example, a woman dreams that she’s told by her mother to poison her pet dog. It dramatizes a situation where her mom is actually pressuring her to marry her best friend. It’s going to poison the relationship with her friend, she fears. Her pet symbolizes her friend. You can dream about your pets in relation to their care and well-being. In this way, it’s a lot like a parent dreaming about his or her children. A pet can symbolize something you tend, something close to you, something you invest yourself into, something important that’s like a pet to you, such as a responsibility, long-term project, or endeavor. That’s a good possibility for symbolism when the pet in the dream isn’t one you own. Parents with young children, in particular, are known to dream about caring for young pets. A pet can symbolize the feeling of being loved, wanted, and appreciated unconditionally. Pets don’t judge or play head games—unless, of course, it’s to get a treat! A pet can symbolize something you look forward to, such as when the best part of your day is taking your dog for a walk after work. It can symbolize something that you train, that obeys, that loves you unconditionally, that can be expensive. To be attacked hard by a pet can symbolize a dispute with a friend or damage to the relationship. It can symbolize betrayal or misplaced trust, or vulnerability to people close to you. For example, criticism from a friend can bite a lot harder than criticism from someone outside your inner circle. Because of the closeness you can have with pets, they’re great as symbols for close relationships such as friends. Dogs, in particular, are “man’s best friend.” Pets can symbolize something you invest your energy into. See the entries for Cat and Dog to get more ideas. It’s common to dream about pets after they die, a normal part of grieving and healing. Our pets can be as close to us as family, and the death of a pet can be a hard loss. Two themes predominate in this sort of dream. One, you get a chance to reunite and enjoy time with your pet, like the good old days. It shows that the healing process is progressing as it should, and the memory of your beloved pet is alive inside you. Or two, something’s seriously wrong, like in a scene in the movie Pet Sematary. It shows that something is stuck in the healing process. You aren’t handling the grief, or you feel guilty because you think you didn’t do enough to save your pet. See: Seeing a dead relative Petting a cat has associations with sexuality because cats are “felines,” which dreams can use to mean “female.” Further, they’re known as “pussies.” Cats are soft and generally responsive to being petted. It can symbolize giving pleasure. On the other hand, petting a cat is associated with indulging thoughts of revenge. Petting is another word for “foreplay,” and dreams can depict it as petting an animal—especially when the animal responds by getting aroused, or the dream setting is sexually suggestive, such as a bedroom. Other associations with petting involve calming someone down, making a personal connection, and showing care and concern. Petting a wolf, for example, can symbolize coming to terms with someone’s wild side, including your own, especially in regard to sexuality. Petting a wild animal like a wolf or gorilla can symbolize playing nice with someone who is potentially dangerous. Petting a whale can symbolize coming to terms with something overwhelming or too big to handle. To explore this subject further, begin with the entry for Animals and branch out to look up the specific type of pet animal in your dream. See also: Adoptions, Animals, Cats, Seeing a dead relative, Dogs

Examples of dreams of pets

Reading dreams is one of the best ways to understand dream symbols. Even though the DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon data, it is grounded in the experience of reading thousands upon thousands of dreams. We invite you to read examples of pet dreams for yourself. These dreams are actual dreams people have had. As result, they may contain racist, sexist, violent, or otherwise offense language and imagery. This can be true even for pet dreams. Read at your own risk.

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