Prophetic Dreams of Socrates the Cat

Socrates has travelled across continents, survived the African wilderness, lived among astronauts and even been mistaken for a god in Australia. Yet one world makes his adventures stranger still: dreams. Some are hilarious, some frightening, some transport him into the ancient past, and some seem uncannily related to what may happen in the future.

The complete book contains forty dreams. Each is a story in its own right, accompanied by the explanations of dream interpreter Innokenty Basov. Socrates sometimes agrees, sometimes argues and frequently reaches his own philosophical conclusions. The following twelve episodes are a first selection from this collection. The others belong to the continuation.

1. The Boa Constrictor

Socrates dreams that a gigantic boa constrictor has swallowed him. Inside its dark, slippery stomach he meets a terrified mouse named Miki. The mouse fears Socrates almost as much as the snake: his mother always warned him against cats. Socrates points out that they are now fellow prisoners facing the same danger. Together they devise an escape. Socrates cuts into the snake's stomach lining with his claws; Miki gnaws at the opening until they can force their way out. Once safe, the mouse hesitates to accept the cat's invitation to celebrate because his mother would disapprove. Socrates wonders why a creature may accept help from someone it is forbidden to befriend. After waking, a television account of the biblical Jonah reminds him of his extraordinary confinement. The dream is a funny warning against inherited prejudice.

2. Outer Space

Before his real journey into orbit, Socrates dreams that a water barrel in the family's garden becomes a spacecraft. He sleeps inside it as the barrel roars and rises towards the stars. Soon he floats above Earth, without spacesuit, parachute or explanation. Two astronauts working outside a spacecraft are astonished to meet a talking cat. Socrates begs for rescue, then begins thinking about distant galaxies, the age of the universe and the brevity of life. Abruptly he wakes: Alexander Petrovich is preparing to fill the barrel with a hose. Years later, after Socrates spends almost three months on the International Space Station, he remembers the resemblance between that absurd dream and the real event. Was it imagination, coincidence or prophecy? He cannot be sure.

3. The Dinosaurs

Socrates finds himself in the distant Mesozoic Era, under a gigantic prehistoric tree near an enormous grazing dinosaur. He meets a small flying reptile, a rhamphorhynchus, and affectionately nicknames him Ramfik. The reptile has never seen a cat; Socrates is delighted to meet a creature that should have disappeared millions of years before his birth. He describes the humans who will one day study the past and name ancient animals. Ramfik catches fish, and they share a peaceful meal. Then a hungry allosaurus approaches. The flying reptile escapes into the sky and Socrates desperately searches for cover. He wakes to loud honking from neighbouring geese, relieved that the modern garden is safer than prehistoric wilderness.

4. The Chef

The food-loving Socrates becomes head chef of an elegant restaurant. His assistant, rabbit Barry, wants carrots, cabbage and vegetables on the menu; Socrates insists on meat, cheese and seafood. They quarrel until the cat realises that their establishment must feed many species with different tastes. Working together, they create a menu for everyone. The restaurant flourishes and the owners reward Socrates with a sausage, which he shares with Pukha. The dog volunteers to become a security guard but loses her enthusiasm when told she must attend an interview. Surrounded by exquisite dishes, Socrates is blissfully happy — until he wakes beneath the kitchen radiator and finds his everyday cat food waiting. His perfect banquet has vanished, leaving a cheerful lesson in respecting other creatures' different needs.

5. The Clone

Socrates meets another cat identical in face, fur and habits. The stranger calls himself Neo-Socrates and claims Alexander Petrovich paid scientists ten thousand euros to clone his beloved pet. Socrates is outraged that his uniqueness can apparently be purchased; he immediately calculates how much delicious sausage that money would buy. Questioning his double, he learns that identical genes do not make identical personalities. The two have different experiences and memories. Gradually Socrates recognises that the newcomer is not to blame for his creation and deserves affection. They make peace, but Pukha arrives and is utterly bewildered at seeing two Socrates. When the real cat wakes, he races to the kitchen and is relieved to find only one food bowl. The comic episode asks what makes an individual truly unique.

6. The Tramps

Alexander Petrovich secretly wakes Socrates for a midnight feast of sausages and sour cream. Tatyana Mikhailovna catches the two accomplices and angrily throws them out of the house. Socrates is astonished to see the head of the family expelled along with him. Seeking shelter, they intrude on someone else's property and a woman calls the police. Soon Alexander Petrovich is questioned while Socrates is classified as a suspicious homeless cat. Officers even attempt to interrogate him. Socrates protests that he has a respectable family and an established position in society. The nightmare grows more absurd until Alexander Petrovich announces they can return home. Socrates wakes to find the real man wondering why he has been meowing so loudly. A midnight sausage, it seems, can threaten one's social status — in a dream.

7. The Tournament

Another cat declares Bella the lady of his heart and challenges Socrates to a medieval knightly tournament. Socrates accepts at once but possesses no armour, horse or lance. A garden pole becomes his weapon, an old iron cooking pot his helmet and pieces of scrap metal his protection. A neighbouring goat agrees to serve as his mount. Organisers are dumbfounded to see a knight arriving on a goat, but Socrates claims he is riding a specially trained racing animal. The rivals charge, both fall, and Socrates eventually pins his opponent down and forces him to plead for mercy. The crowd cheers the victorious knight and his goat. Socrates wakes to find Bella on the fence and hear the real neighbour's goat bleating. Beneath the absurdity lies the cat's insistence that love deserves courage and loyalty.

8. Noah's Ark

Socrates dreams of the biblical Flood. A squirrel named Marfa warns that Noah is building a gigantic ship in the forest because terrible rains are coming. Socrates mocks the idea of a ship where there is no sea, but visits the construction site and finds Noah busily working. He learns that animals must board in pairs and searches for a female companion, eventually securing two places. When the waters rise, predators and prey must live together without attacking one another. Their survival depends upon cooperation and restraint. After many months the Ark comes to rest near Mount Ararat. A dove returns with an olive branch announcing dry land. The animals disembark beneath a splendid rainbow, a sign of hope and a promise that such destruction will not be repeated. Socrates wakes to a rainbow over his own garden and reflects on peace, coexistence and new beginnings.

9. The Treasure Hunters

Pukha announces that they must hunt for buried treasure, inspired by stories of pirates. She orders a metal detector and appoints Socrates chief digger. The expedition nearly ends when the dog becomes stuck in the garden gate and Socrates tries to pull her through by the ears. They eventually reach the countryside. After a disappointing first day, the detector begins beeping near the forest. Socrates digs and unearths an enormous golden helmet like one worn by an ancient warrior. Pukha puts it on and marches triumphantly home, dreaming of fame and riches. But at the most exciting moment Socrates wakes. The treasure vanishes. Irritated that his dream ended too soon, he decides not to tell Pukha, lest even imaginary wealth go to her head.

10. The Funeral

One of the most emotional dreams begins when Pukha is found motionless in the garden. At first the family believes she is sleeping; then a veterinarian determines that she died of a massive heart attack. Socrates is devastated. He remembers their endless bickering and every unkind word. Now he would give anything to hear her bark once more. Katerina weeps, Dmitry stands silent and Bella tries to comfort the grieving cat as the family prepares a burial in the garden. Socrates presses himself to Pukha's still body and whispers an apology. At the worst moment he hears a familiar growl — and wakes. Pukha is sitting beside him alive, wondering why he cried in his sleep. He embraces her, overwhelming the bewildered dog with affection. The experience teaches him that we often understand love most deeply when we imagine losing it.

11. The Ant

Socrates discovers that the garden has become immense. Seeing his reflection in a drop of water, he realises he has become an ant. His magnificent fur, whiskers, tail and independence are gone. A stern supervisor orders him to work and threatens punishment when he insists he is really a cat. Socrates learns about the rigid duties and hierarchy of the ant colony. After an interview he considers jobs ranging from food manager to guard. Naturally drawn to the food stores, he instead becomes a border guard. Hoping to escape home, he grabs the tail of a neighbouring cat named Baksik, only to be flung into a tree. Back at the colony, he invents a heroic story explaining his absence. The supervisor recommends that such a talented storyteller entertain young ants instead. Socrates wakes with a real ant on his paw. About to crush it, he remembers how helpless he felt as an insect and carefully lets it go. The dream becomes an unforgettable lesson in empathy.

12. The Dream Within a Dream

In the fortieth and final dream, Socrates approaches a magnificent palace. Bella stands at golden gates wearing a crown. Instead of greeting her beloved, she treats him as an inferior, demands royal reverence and strikes him when he objects. Heartbroken, he wakes and runs into his familiar garden, where Bella sits on the fence. He starts to recount the nightmare, but she again behaves like a cruel queen. Has the dream somehow become reality? The terrified cat argues with her — then wakes a second time. This time Bella is genuinely beside him and speaks with her familiar warmth. Relieved, he embraces her and decides not to share the humiliating dream: careless words, even about imaginary events, may hurt those we love. For Socrates, the most important distinction between dream and waking life is simple. Bella loves him, and that love is real.

Many More Dreams to Tell

These twelve tales are only the first selection from the book's forty dreams: journeys through time, impossible professions, comic disasters, warnings, losses and encounters with fantastic creatures. Innokenty Basov offers interpretations, sometimes finding promises of success in frightening dreams or warnings in happy ones. Socrates debates him, resisting any suggestion that dreams must have a single meaning. Are they predictions, reflections of memory or games of imagination? The book leaves room for mystery, inviting readers to treasure their inner worlds and the loved ones who make waking life worth returning to.

Prophetic Dreams of Socrates the Cat is a collection about courage, identity, compassion, grief and love. The remaining twenty-eight dreams can be explored in further selections; the book's conclusion remains the tender double dream of Bella.