Dreams about neglected animals ... what are they all about?

[JMSA]

A horrible dream last night. I discovered that I had left my pet hamster - which I don't actually have! - in a large tub of water, with the lid on
On opening the lid, I was obviously horrified and consumed by guilt. The hamster was somehow still breathing but struggling ... funny that! I fished him out and put him on my body, to get some warmth into him.
I can feel tears pricking my eyes as I read this, as it was awful!
It's not the first time I've had a dream like this, as the last time I left a pet in a drawer.
What are these dreams about animal neglect all about?

I dreamt I forgot I had chickens and hadn't fed or watered them for weeks

I’ve had numerous dreams along the same lines- really upsetting as I adore my pets. I’d forget to feed them and they’d be half starved in my dream etc When I googled it - this was pretty accurate for me:

t's possible that you often put the needs of others before your own, going above and beyond to help those around you. The recurring theme of forgetting to feed the pets could symbolize a fear of neglecting important tasks or obligations.

Omg. I had this on and off for years. As a young adult I had 2 horses which I sold on when I went to uni. I used to dream that I’d forgotten about them and that I suddenly remembered I’d left them in the field. So upsetting when I woke up. Thought I was mad! So interesting to hear that other people have this too.

Most of my dreams are about desperately trying to stop my vulnerable pets escaping from various terrible temporary enclosures.😭

That's an interesting take. I have raging ADHD, so it makes sense 😂

Oh my god I dream fairly regularly that I've shut my cat in a cupboard and forgotten about her or have cats I didn't know I had and haven't looked after them

The other night I dreamt I was rescuing baby rabbits from a children's plastic sandpit that someone had flooded and closed the lid on. It was a horrible, vivid dream, so I sympathise. I wonder if these kind of dreams have a any meaning.

OP, perhaps your subconscious is trying to remind you of an ignored or neglected part of yourself that needs some loving care and attention.

If you google 'dreams about animal neglect' it seems to be quite common.

Various theories as to what it means.
Anxiety about responsibilities?

Yeah I suspect it’s basically an anxiety dream whereby you are worried about not doing something important or feeling pressured in some way.

If you wanna go a bit woo, maybe the animal represents a part of you that you are neglecting? Life being so busy etc that you aren’t taking full care of your own needs?

I’ve had a similar dream to the post above about a small animal in a cage that’s falling apart! And trying to keep them in it so they can’t escape into the house. I wonder what it means.

Mine are always finding my rats with multiple baby rats in various stages of development and wild all over my house. My rats are male and remain male in my dream.

I have these too! Usually multiple gerbils I cannot house, or forgetting to feed a gerbil. Or their tank is filling with water, very disturbing

Trying to keep animals caged/from escaping/running wild could be about trying and struggling to keep things under control and or feelings/emotions in check.

I have lots of recurring dreams like this and I really hate them, so I sympathise. The animals in mine are always rodents, which I used to assume was because I have kept lots of different rodents over the years - but I’ve also had dogs, birds and fish too and I never have that kind of dream about them, so I think maybe it’s more because rodents are particularly tiny and vulnerable.

I think it just comes from the repressed fear most of us have of fucking up or being unable to handle a responsibility for something important. Or it’s a manifestation of something we feel guilty about, maybe - letting someone down or accidentally hurting someone or neglecting someone/something important. An anxiety dream, basically. It’s horrible, whatever it is!

I have dreams where I'm trying to keep animals safe but somehow can't. So a hamster (or several) will be running free and I know there is a cat there and I feel terrible that I can't sort it out. I last had this type of dream about a week ago and decided it is something about vulnerability and feeling I'm not in control. In my case I think it relates to one of my DC who has some mental health issues.

@minthybobs it's psychology rather than woo.

I have lots of dreams that I take my cat to some far flung places and he freaks out and runs away. It's always a nightmare and I get so panicky! I wonder what it means?

Oh my, I have these sorts of dreams a lot, I find their poor dead bodies and realise I forgot to feed/water them. As an animal lover it's so distressing.

Thanks everyone.

I dream of forgetting to feed and water to mixture of Guinea pigs and rabbits. Some are dead some just hanging in there. It’s horrible

my mum and me have always had these dreams. Usually small animals. Guineapigs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils. Just horrendous. But since I had reptiles I've started dreaming about dying lizards too . It's so upsetting

I have this about fish. In my dream I suddenly remember I moved house or went to stay with someone and left my fish in the tank behind.

If the dream goes on and I get back to try and save the fish, they are alive but in horrible conditions- an inch of cloudy green water.

I haven't had fish in over 20 years.

I dreamed I was frying up chopped up rats to eat not long ago 🤮

Oh, that makes sense. I had the "I've killed my pets!" dream umpteen times.

I've never had a pet. I was, however, my parents' carer and my husband's carer.