  We evaluate the effective kaon mass in dense nuclear matter. Pauli blocking
and nucleon-nucleon short-range correlations are incorporated. The effects of
short-range correlations are shown to be moderate and figure importantly only
at densities larger than 2 times normal nuclear density. We discuss the
relations between the present results and the results obtained in
next-to-next-to-leading order chiral perturbation theory (${{\cal O} (Q^3)}$,
where $Q$ is the characteristic small energy-momentum scale probed). We also
discuss mean-field aspects, with some remarks on the relation between the
short-range correlations and the four-Fermi contact terms in the chiral
effective Lagrangian.
