9/30: a dream with emma

We got a new cat, unexpectedly, this summer. She sort of chose us. We had seen her out and about in the neighborhood ever since we moved in, and she looked healthy and happy so we assumed that one of our neighbors was taking care of her. (We also assumed that she was a she.) But by early July she started to stick close to our house, and she looked like she needed some food, sleep, and maybe medical attention, so we took her in. A trip to the vet got her in better order and also got us to realize that she was a he. We had been calling her Emma, so now we call him Em (or, truthfully, sometimes still Emma). In any case, last night I dreamt that we were all on a house-like boat, including the cats, and Emma jumped into the cold, rolling ocean. I watched as Em started to drift away; Chris jumped in to bring the cat back; I felt relieved and woke up. Thank goodness for Chris; thank goodness it was a dream. But such a dream is proof (isn't it?) that I think of Emma as one of the family now. And that is a good thing (even if the dream also betrays some anxiety about whether Emma considers himself part of the family!).