Animals in dreams often represent your instincts – aspects of yourself that you often repress in your waking life.
Although particular animals have traditional symbolic meanings, the meaning of the animal in your dream will have to do with how you feel about it in waking life.
For example, if you are terrified of dogs, a dream about a dog will not mean the same thing to you as it will to someone who has a dog as a faithful, loving companion.
A cat can represent grace and mystery, but if you are allergic to cats, an encounter with a cat in a dream can mean that something in waking life is making you sick.
Dreaming that you are caring for a baby animal can be a sign that you are feeling vulnerable yourself.
A caged animal can symbolize repressed emotions.