I Dreamt About Them: What Pet Dreams Mean After Loss

Dreams after a loss can be strangely vivid. Sometimes they're comforting. Sometimes they're brutal.

Visitation dreams

Some people experience what they call a "visitation" dream: the pet looks healthy, the feeling is peaceful, and you wake up with this quiet sense of *they're okay.* If you're spiritual, that interpretation may fit. If you're not, there's still a grounded explanation: your brain is finally accessing memories of them before illness or decline.

Guilt dreams

And then there are guilt dreams—lost-pet nightmares, angry-pet nightmares, the "I couldn't find them" dream. That doesn't mean your pet is suffering somewhere. It usually means your mind is trying to solve an unsolvable problem: *How do I make this not real?*

What to do with good dreams

If a good dream comes, write it down the same morning. They fade faster than you think. These dreams often feel like gifts—fleeting visits that your waking mind can't recreate.

What to do with bad dreams

Bad dreams usually decrease over time. If they're persistent and disturbing your sleep significantly, that's worth mentioning to a counselor. But for most people, they're just the brain's messy way of processing something it can't fix.