I went into the vacant house to clean out the last of the items left behind, never suspecting that they would include two young kittens and an iguana, all of which were running around loose.
Fortunately, there were some animal carriers in one of the rooms, so I put the kittens in one of them. It was much harder to catch the iguana and it bit my hand as I was wrangling it into another pet carrier, but it only left indentations and didn't break the skin.
I took the kittens to my vet's office, which was very crowded. I knew I needed to get them combo tested before I could take them to my house and let my cats be exposed to them. My brain was racing trying to think of names for them and wondering how much it would cost to get them spayed and neutered. I was hoping that The Animal Rescue Alliance would help me find homes for them, but either way I knew I'd have to keep them at my house for a bit.
Once I got home, the iguana escaped from its carrier and hid somewhere in my house. Fearing another bite, I put on work gloves and began moving furniture to try to find it.
...and then I woke up.
When I realized I had been dreaming, I can't tell you how incredibly relieved I was that I wasn't really going to be responsible for finding new homes for two cats and a lizard.
I can guess where most of the dream came from. I do a lot of volunteering with the aforementioned rescue group and it's in my thoughts most of the time. I've also been getting a bit over-committed to various other volunteer projects, so my life and schedule are hectic right now. Finally, I recently watched "Sunshine Cleaning," which includes a scene where a woman cleaning out the house of someone who died finds a kitten.
So I take the dream as a sign that I need to slow down a bit. But at least I don't need to spend any part of my day calling around trying to find someone who wants an iguana.
Photo credit: RachelEllen
A free iguana? You know who to call should you ever need to unload one. ;-)
Posted by: cagey | February 18, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Sunshine Cleaning sent me into a fit of hysterical sobs. Luckily, your dream did not, but it did have me on the edge of my seat!
Posted by: Stephanie | February 18, 2011 at 11:05 AM
I had a weird dream in the night too which I was glad to wake up from.
Posted by: Keith | February 19, 2011 at 08:18 AM
You already know you have a tendancy to overcommit! Here's a magic phrase. Learn it. Love it: "No, sorry, I can't".
Posted by: kcyogachick | February 19, 2011 at 09:24 AM
Having an iguana and having been bit by it? It sucks. You are lucky it didn't happen in real life :)
Posted by: Raven | February 22, 2011 at 10:40 AM
I dreamed last night that I had to bring home six kittens. We already have two cats. I couldn't figure out how I had gotten stuck with more felines!
Posted by: The gold digger | February 27, 2011 at 10:05 AM