Cactus

To dream of a cactus represents feelings about behavior or a situation that thinks about why it's interesting to survive emptiness staying the way it is while it hurts you if you get too personal with it. Behavior that likes itself surviving emptiness the way it is and hurts you if you do anything except accept it. An individual or a situation that's interesting about staying the way it is in emptiness while being easily irritated, touchy, or difficult to deal with when you get too close and personal with them. Facing discomfort before learning how to move on from a situation. Situations that you feel are best left alone because you waste your time being close and personal with them. An individual or circumstance that's interesting about why it stays the same and can be "prickly" or difficult to engage with on a personal level.

Example: A woman dreamed of getting married to a cactus. In waking life, he was trying to commit herself to studying for her school exams for a course which she believed failure was an inevitability. She felt she looked stupid for even attempting to study the course material. In this case, being married to a cactus may have reflected her perception of her commitment to studying a failing course at school out of the interest of still potentially passing, while also feeling that going to class emotionally hurt her by feeling stupider than other people for getting too involved with it.

Example 2: A woman dreamed of feeling cactus thorns in her feet, but when she looked down it was a black lizard. In waking life, she was taking care of her elderly father-in-law who was very ill. In this case, the cactus thorns may have reflected her feelings about her elderly father-in-law being interesting to take care of because he is family and her deceased husband's father, while at the same time not liking to think of too much personal cost with time and money once his health problems became too serious.

Caracals

To dream of a caracal represents feelings about behavior that's ignorant about being dangerous while certain of itself not listening to anything changing what is currently happening.

Caught

To dream of getting caught doing something that you aren't supposed to do represents feelings about dishonesty being revealed. Feeling stupid for socially unacceptable behavior. Fear or anxiety about potential consequences for your behavior. Embarrassment of being caught being lazy. Feeling forced to confront a difficult situation that you wish to avoid. A need for avoidance. Negatively, getting caught in a dream may reflect problems with accepting yourself with your own ideas or goals without others imposing their own on you. Feeling that you are not allowed to have your own ideas or interests that differ from a jealous spouse or friend.

To dream of catching someone doing something they aren't supposed to do represents feelings about yourself being surprised or insulted by behavior you weren't expecting. Surprise that people that are close to you have different ideas, interests, or goals than you. Negatively, it may be a sign that you are too controlling or expect too much conformity from people.

To dream of catching an animal represents feelings about having stopped, controlled, or embarrassed a problem. Unwanted behavior that you are forcing to stop. Embarrassing a liar, cheater, or misbehaving person. Getting control over a problem situation. Consider the type of animal for additional meaning.

To dream of catching something or someone running away from you represents feelings about yourself asserting control over a situation. Preventing a loss or embarrassing outcome. Forcing a person in your life to confront their dishonesty or dangerous behavior. Awareness of yourself having to stop yourself from behaving in an inappropriate way that might have been close to getting out of hand. Enforcing things on others that they don't want to confront. Negatively, catchings something or someone running away from you may reflect your own arrogant need for total control. Forcing perfect compliance on others merely to feel good about yourself. Never wanting to "let someone off."

Example: A woman dreamed of being caught by a security guard. In waking life she was fearing being caught by her boss with certain behavior after a coworker got fired for that behavior.

Example 2: A man dreamed of fearing being caught watching a couple have sex. In waking life he was having strong sexual fantasies for a woman and was having anxiety about his romantic attraction for the woman being discovered as he looked at her on Facebook regularly and believed it might be possible for her to discover that he was looking at her Facebook profile.

Example 3: A man dreamed of fearing being caught smoking. In waking life he had to behave perfect to avoid losing custody of his child. He feared being discovered behaving in any way that might allow the government to take his child from him.

*Please See Cheating

*Please See Fish

*Please See Liar

Cheetahs

To dream of a cheetah represents problems or situations that can't be outrun. Issues that you're forced to think about or that you can't escape a confrontation with. It's often a recurring issue that bothers you or that you can't help but be reminded of.

Negatively, a cheetah may reflect a fear of being unable to "outrun" or get away from your problems. Feeling that your enemies or problems are too quick for you. A fear of enemies gaining on you too quickly.

A cheetah may appear in a dream when you are trying to move on in life and something keeps bringing you back to the problem.

Example: A man dreamed of a cheetah. In waking life she was going bankrupt and feared that his new business venture wouldn't take off quickly enough to stop him from losing everything he had. He feared being unable to "outrun" bankruptcy.

Example 2: A woman dreamed of a cheetah in her house. In waking life he was in the middle of a lawsuit and felt that because of her lawyer's unwillingness to do what she wanted she couldn't escape serious financial losses that may occur id the person who was suing her wasn't stopped.

*Please See Tigers

*Please See Lions

Cougars

To dream of a cougar represents intuitive aggression, ambition, or doing everything you can to realize a goals.

It's awareness, keen perception, paying very close attention to someone or something in your waking life. Often something or someone you don't trust. You may also be observing or hunting for weakness before you make a move.

Ketchup

To dream of ketchup represents feelings about an experience of adding something interesting to what you are already doing to make something easier to accept in a manner that lets you safely like yourself the way you are without having to explain it to anyone else.

To dream of ketchup packets for fast food represents feelings of convenience with small free methods of adding something interesting to what you are already doing while making something easier to accept in a manner that lets you safely like yourself the way you are without having to explain it to anyone else.

Example: A woman dreamed of seeing ketchup packets. In waking life, she had moved homes, changed jobs, and was having a lot of problems paying her bills during this very big transition. She had to steal and lie in harmless ways to help pay the bills. In this case, the ketchup packets may have reflected her feelings of convenience with dishonest free methods of saving money being a small way to make her difficult situation more enjoyable and interesting while safely liking her life the way it was without having to explain it to anyone.

Names

To dream of your name may reflect feelings about who you are as a person. Negatively, it may reflect feelings of not being good enough as a person. It may also reflect total arrogance that you are better than other people. Too much focus on yourself being important. Consider how a name makes you feel when you hear it for additional meaning.

To dream of someone calling your name represents some aspect of your personality that desires attention or power. Feelings about being special.

To dream of a name that you've never heard before represents an aspect of your personality based on how that name makes you feel. Ask yourself what thoughts or feelings you have you hear the name.

To dream of people you know with the names of other people represents aspects of your personality that influenced or controlled by other aspects of your personality.

To dream of people whose names you never know represents your feeling that something in your life is unattainable or "unknowable" for you. You may think that a goal can't be secured for good. It may also reflect feelings that you are unable to know what your problem is or why something keeps happening to you.

Example: A man dreamed of being called the name "Chad." In waking life Chad wasn't his real name. He felt that people named Chad were easily liked or always viewed as a winner by others. In waking life around the time of the dream he was experiencing an unusual amount of attention and popularity.

Pet Food

To dream of pet food represents thoughts or feelings about your ability to nourish or sustain something that brings you comfort, joy, or emotional support. Your understanding of what is needed to keep a certain aspect of your life 'fed,' encouraged, in balance, or well-taken care of. Pets are often symbolic of emotional or relational needs and the food may represent the emotional or psychological sustenance needed to maintain these relationships or aspects of yourself.

Positively, dreaming about pet food could symbolize a responsible attitude toward emotional needs or interpersonal relationships. You are aware of what needs to be done to nurture something or someone valuable to you. It may also signify that you are in a nurturing phase of life, giving attention and care to those who depend on you, including aspects of your own emotional well-being.

Negatively, dreaming about pet food may point to an emotional issue that is being exacerbated. Wasting your time saying you like something about your life in order to feel better about yourself. Wasting your time feeling good caring about someone ignorant or undeserving of that care in order to feel better about yourself. Feeling burdened or overwhelmed by the responsibilities of caring for someone else or keeping an aspect of your life balanced. You might feel like you are not up to the task, or perhaps that you're 'feeding' something that is not good for you, such as a bad habit or a toxic relationship.

To dream of cat food represents feelings about nourishing, sustaining, encouraging, or "feeding" illusions of confidence about something that isn't as tough as it says it is.

To dream of dog food represents feelings about nourishing, sustaining, encouraging, or "feeding" behavior that is emotionally protective. Encouraging emotional self-defense. Encouraging a loss of self-control over instincts and urges.

Example: A woman dreamed of buying herself a cat and always forgetting to feed it to the point of looking so skinny that she began to worry about it. In waking life, she was an unemployed stay-at-home mom experiencing relationship troubles. In this case, the neglected cat food may have reflected her feelings about forgetting to encourage herself to look for a job after telling her boyfriend she would because getting a job scares her that she'd have to stop taking care of her child herself and reenter the workforce after an extended period as a stay-at-home mom.

Refer to the themes section for animals for a more in depth look at animal symbolism.