Thanks, Snakecharmer!!

I love your possibilities in meaning. All of those could be true.

Another thought I had was this: Cats are often a negative symbol of femininity. I have been thinking a lot lately about my avoidance of romantic relationships out of anxiety. Eyespots could represent the way I automatically and reflexively repel men without knowing it? heh, just a thought.

My cat in real life is still young and healthy, so I tend to think this was symbolism.

It really was such a strong dream image that I woke up convinced that this actually happened to a cat somewhere ---it took me a while to realize it was just a dream! I can't remember the last time that happened!