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?

Just to throw this in there- after 2 weeks of recurring dreams very similar to yours, I found out I was pregnant. Probably just a coincidence, but worth a thought.

I sometimes have the pets dream, mine is always cats as I’ve had cats all my life. It’s always about not being able to keep them safe, them escaping and not being able to get them back home. I think it’s really about keeping myself safe, and the cats are a proxy.

I had hamsters as a child but I have never dreamed about them at all.

I used to often have the ‘forgotten to study for an exam’ dream but nowadays it's been replaced by the ‘forgotten to prepare for guests who have just arrived’.

I’ve had the ‘secret room/s in my house’ dream too, as another poster said I go down a corridor and there they are. I don’t feel uneasy about them, just interested, it does seem to be about about accessing another part of yourself.

This is such an interesting thread. And good point about whether men have these type of dreams - I wonder.

the rooms are the same - sort of an annex off a short corridor. No one has specifically told me not to use them and they usually have more / better facilities than the part of the house I’m comfortable in, but they feel very “off” and threatening. I’ve been there so often I think “Oh, here I am again!” in my dream.

I've had these dreams all my life!! I go through a door and there is a big room, almost like a church or barn that's in a terrible state of repair and spooky/threatening. Since I've retired now and the people who've caused problems in my life/restricted me are all dead or gone I feel more relaxed than ever and the dreams have stopped. I wonder if it was me subconsciously trying to find some time/space for myself but afraid of doing so. The dreams were so vivid and so repetitive. I feel like I know that room so well I can smell it.

When I had a dog I had recurring dreams that she was loose or lost and I was desperately trying to find her or rescue her from busy roads.

Wow it is soo interesting to hear others saying they have the “secret/extra spaces” dreams too! Thank you for sharing @JMSA

My partner does have recurring dreams about houses too, but whatever the variation of house is, there is someone trying to get in but the locks on the doors and things don’t work. He had an abusive childhood so I think it stems from unresolved trauma.

I never really believed there were proper meanings to dreams until I had these ones in adulthood/as a mother.

I have regular dreams that I'm responsible for hundreds of cats, that keep multiplying. I'm trying to find my own cats amongst them all and they all keep running away. And some have horrible deformities! It's a classic anxiety dream. About worrying that your failing in your responsibilities to yourself and others.

If there's one thing that I can't cope with it's animal neglect; that's why I often dream about it. I think it's the brain's way of processing some of the awful things we see online.

I'm always dreaming of having pet rodents and forgetting I have them and some or all die of starvation and neglect, it's awful as I'm such an animal lover yet in the dream I'm like oh well let's save what we can kinda attitude. What could it mean ?

I had this dream again last night. Guinea pigs not being fed again. I was quite upset about stuff with my son yesterday (he's upset about some friends) so I can understand why I had a bad dream.

Glad I'm not the only one I've been having the same dreams for years