Monkey Dreams

Every night, Monkey makes an appearance in my dreams.  Last night I was looking at old childhood photographs.  I was very young, seven perhaps, sitting at our dining room table.  The photo was capturing an occasion, perhaps my birthday, and I was holding a cat.  Growing up, we had a cat, Spots, and so I assumed that was the pet in my arms.  Then the photo turned into a GIF, and the cat started moving towards me and it was clearly Monkey.  I couldn't believe I never knew that Spots was, in fact, Monkey.  Reverse incarnation?