Dream Interpretation ›  Cat - Dream meaning and symbolism

Cat - Dream meaning and symbolism

Main symbolic meaning

The symbolism of a cat varies widely from a good sign to a beast of evil omen (allegedly cats were capable of killing women assuming their appearance etc). We may call a beautiful woman a “cat”, but a cat is also the favorite pet of a witch or of a cat lady.

• The usual symbolic meaning for cat is a woman and femininity (felinity)
• Cats are cunning, clairvoyant or agile (Catwoman)
• Cats are symbols of the moon and night. They have excellent night vision.
• In direct comparison to dog can be the cat perceived as disobedient, free-spirited, even cruel and self-serving.
• Black cat crossing your road is considered to be an evil omen. If you are superstitious, you have to wait until someone else crosses the invisible path of bad luck that was created across the way by the black cat.
• Ancient Egypt Bastet was also a goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, possibly because of the fertility of the domestic cat.

Dream meaning

Cat attacking

Different kinds of attack (cat biting your hand, cat scratching your face with claws …) often means you feel threatened by a woman in waking life. Maybe you are jealous of a rival in love or you are anxious because of a tough competition where a particular woman is involved. The cat in your dream may also symbolize a general feminine element and the fact, that you are not in harmony with your own femininity

Cat eating food

Dreaming about a cat eating food means the cunning, free-spirited and fertile element is gaining strength in your life. Is it you, who is giving the food to a cat? Maybe you also feed your own femininity to be a real “cat” in the waking life. Cat eating fish may also carry another special spiritual meaning, because fish is a symbol that was widely used by early Christians as a secret sign. 

Cat’s poop

To see excrements of a cat means that your dream wants to draw your attention to the negative aspects that accompany all the main symbolic meanings mentioned above. Think about important details such as: Is it your cat (your femininity)? Do you have to clean up the mess? It's poop in the wrong place? …

Cat giving birth

Obviously your “inner” cat is a symbol of femininity, fertility and creative forces. You are now witnessing the rise of these forces and all the accompanying meanings.

Dead cat

In contrast, a dying, sick or dead cat in your dream means that you see your (or someone else's) femininity, cunningness or free spirited nature disappear or weaken.

Cat running away

The meaning may be similar to a dead cat, but keep in mind that a cat that ran away, can return very quickly!

Facts about cats

• Domesticated cca 7500–7200 BC.
• Cats have protractable and retractable claws.
• Cats can see at only one-sixth the light level required for human vision.
• Whiskers help them provide information on the width of gaps and on the location of objects in the dark.
• More on Wikipedia

Other inspiring resources about cats

Mythology and fairytales

• The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols:
• In the Buddhist world, cats, along with snakes, are blamed for being the only creatures left unmoved by the death of the Buddha, something which might be considered from another angle as a sign of higher wisdom.
• Kabbalah is at one with Buddhism in associating the cat with the SERPENT as an emblem of 'sin and the misuse of the good things of this world' (Devoucoux)
• Cats are sometimes depicted in this guise at the feet of Christ.
• Islamic tradition regards the cat more favourably, unless it is black, having “Barakah” (a blessing power).
• Legend relates that when rats disturbed the passengers on the Ark, Noah stroked the lion's face, making it sneeze and spit out a pair of cats. This is why the creature looks like a lion.
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• Maneki-neko / beckoning cat is a common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner, placed often near the entrance equipped with a mechanical paw which slowly moves back and forth.
• Bastet, also called Bast, ancient Egyptian goddess worshiped in the form of a lioness and later a cat. The daughter of Re, the sun god.  She was seen as defender of the king, and consequently of the sun god, Ra.
• 14 Legends About Cats From Around the World
  Cats steal your baby’s breath, they have caused the black death, they’re scorned women in disguise, who like to feast upon newborn babies, cats are basically living urns for human souls …
• Cat Folklore & Legends From Around the World

Art

• Daily Art Magazine: 15 Cats in Art History Every Cat Lover Would Love
• Hidari Jingorō: Sleeping cat at Nikkō Tōshō-gū
  Famous nemuri-neko ("sleeping cat") carving is located above the Kuguri-mon Gate amidst the sacred mountain shrines and temples of Nikkō.
• Haruki Murakami: The town of cats
  The story “Town of Cats” is excerpted from your three-part novel, “1Q84”