Dreaming of Pets after They Pass Away

Have you ever dreamed of one of your pets after they have passed away? I did recently, and it is one of the best dreams I have ever had. I lost one of my beloved cats, Chaya, a little over a year ago. I’ve missed her tremendously, and although the many amazing memories and photos I have of her help, I still miss her physical presence. I want to pick her up and hold her, have her come running to me, tail twitching, when I walk in the house or fall asleep on my legs. Several months ago, I dreamed of her, a dream that felt so real to me, that I believe it was real. I shared it on my Facebook page and with some fellow pet photographers, and the response I got was overwhelming. I didn’t know if people would think that I was weird for saying that I thought it was real, but many people agreed that it was, and a number of them shared similar experiences. Here are my favorites (my dream of Chaya is at the end).

My friend, Katharine, told me about a dream in which she’d died. When she got to the “other side,” all the pets and people she’d loved and cared about were there, all were super happy, and the whole atmosphere was positive. In her dream, pets still couldn’t talk, but you could read their thoughts, which is how they communicate with you. Katharine saw Fez, her cat who passed away several years ago. She told him that she’d missed him, and he communicated that he’d missed her too, even though it had only been a short while that they’d been separated. It had been decades though, and Katharine realized that his sense of time was different: he believed they’d only been apart for a few minutes. That was his perception of time, and as she was with him, it quickly became hers, too: that she had only been separated from those she loved for a few minutes. She said that ever since she had that dream, she hasn’t feared death. When she told me this I got goosebumps and it made me so happy to think that not only will we see our loved ones again but that they will think the separation from us is extraordinarily brief.

This is not a dream but a vision. Diana wrote, “The morning of the day I was going to put my cat Typo to sleep, I went outside and saw my dearly departed Graystripes at the base of a tree. As clear as anything, I heard her say, ‘I’m waiting for Typo.’ Then she disappeared and I just saw the roots of the tree. You cannot tell me she wasn’t there. It brought me comfort that I was doing the right thing. I wish my cat Junior would come. Her loss still makes me cry.”

Trina wrote, “I lost my first Golden about 6 years ago. She and I were very bonded, she was there for me for so many things…boyfriends, breakups, when I met my husband, got married, bought my first house, etc. When we lost her to cancer, she came to me in my dreams every night for a month afterwards. Awesome dreams too. Felt so real, like we were still together. Then they stopped. I don’t dream about her anymore, but everyone once in a while I think I feel her cold nose bump up against me.”

I dreamed that Chaya was lying on my bed, touching noses with one of my other cats, Alfie (who is buff). When I first saw her, I thought it was Griffin, Alfie’s brother, who is a very dark gray. But then I realized it was her, and lay down on the bed with her, spooned with her and petted her for what felt like 30 minutes.. It was the best dream ever, it made me so happy because it felt so real. And I truly believe it was. I wish I could dream of Chaya and other pets I have lost every night.

Ellen Zangla Photography—Specializing in pets and the people who love them.

Professional Photographers of America: 2015 Silver Medal Photographer of the Year

Voted “Best Photographer in Loudoun County” 2015 and 2016