Published Dec 14, 2006
My third cat, Percy, we got from a farm in Western Maryland when I was in 7th grade. Out of a barn or not, Percy looked like an Abyssinan with the coat of a Russian Blue. When we first got him, I held Percy on my lap as we drove him home; he sat bolt upright and peered out the window for the whole trip. About 20 minutes in, he peed on me, the good, solid, sustained pee that comes from holding it in for a while and then finally letting go when you need to.
Poor Percy’s life never really got better from there. Smart and neurotic, Percy was a well-intentioned cat who tended to blend into the background. First he played second fiddle to Magic, our big, friendly longhair; later, Junior took to beating him up. But, for a few years in between, he enjoyed himself as the only cat, and he was a great pet.
Percy must have died four years ago, so I have no idea why I dreamed about him last night, but I did. We lived under a giant glass dome, in my dream, and my parents had a small, verdant yard, surrounded by a concrete wall, just beside and below a larger park area encosed by its own wall. I was visiting my parents’ yard with a girl, and we were enjoying the little pond in the middle of it, next to the sparse grass and the tree. To show off, I decided to turn on the sprinklers and water that poor grass.
But I turned the wrong valve and opened a big pipe, out of which poured a torrent of muddy runoff from the next-door park. This runoff swirled in the pond, turning it into a spinning, turgid funnel; Percy walked up to the water to check out what was going on, and, sniffing away, was sucked in. The girl I was with screamed as Percy circled the pond’s drain, closer and closer, and I closed the valve and turned off the water. I ran over just as Percy disappeared into the drain. I reached down into the drain and coud feel the wet, cold tip of his nose, but I couldn’t fit my whole hand in the drain, but I pulled, and he came popping out, wet and cold. I held him and he was safe.
I awoke at 6am with my heart pounding, frightened I’d just drowned my cat. No matter what I did, I couldn’t manage to fall back to sleep; all I could do was think of Percy. He was a good cat.
Finally I remembered when we took Percy to the vet to have him put to sleep. He’d been sick for years with intestinal cancer, but his pills were finally not helping him any more. The poor cat was obviously unhappy and in pain, and it was time to help him. So we put him in his carrier, took him to the vet, and held him as they injected him with whatever it is the vets use for that purpose. I didn’t think at the time — I didn’t think until early this morning, four years too late — but I should have brought him to the vet on my lap, letting him leave us as he’d arrived. On that day, I would have treasured him peeing on my lap. Today, I could only get out of bed early and think of him as I started my day.
I was glad to hear about your cat and sad to hear about your dream. But, ultimately, you did save and hold Percy and he was safe.
As one who doesn’t remember my dreams, I decided to look a few things up. For what it’s worth:
DRAIN To see a drain in your dream, signifies your need to release and channel your emotions. You should not keep your feeling inside. Alternatively, it may represent a wasted effort or loss. Consider the dream to also be a pun on something that may be draining you of your energy.
DROWNING To dream that you rescue someone from drowning indicates that you have successfully acknowledged certain emotions and characteristics that are symbolized by the drowning victim.
WATER To see muddy or dirty water in your dream, indicates that you are wallowing in your negative emotions. You may need to devote some time to clarify your mind and find internal peace. Alternatively, it suggests that your thinking/judgment is unclear and clouded.
My interpretation, from the above interpretations, is pretty simple. You’ve been talking about Percy recently, so it makes sense that he would make an appearance. And, you are maybe a little overwhelmed and need a nice big X-mas vacation to get away from things. Lucky for you, that’s coming up!
C
PS - Smart and neurotic, Percy was a well-intentioned cat who tended to blend into the background. This reminds me of someone… maybe you know them?