--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A cat is a soft, indestructible automaton…" description: "\"A cat is a soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle.\" — Ambrose Bierce" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/ambrose-bierce-140_automaton_a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton_300969.jpg" --- # A cat is a soft, indestructible automaton provided by… ![“A cat is a soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle.” quote by Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/ambrose-bierce-140_automaton_a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton_300969.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/ambrose-bierce-140_automaton_a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton_300969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/ambrose-bierce-140_automaton_a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton_300969.jpg) > “A cat is a soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle.” [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cats are portrayed as resilient, self‑sufficient companions that endure mistreatment without complaint. **In simple terms:** Cats endure hardship without complaint. Key Takeaway Treat pets with respect. Themes compassion resilience human‑animal relations Mood ironic wry Type satirical observational When to use this quote - home life - stress relief - pet ownership Key Concepts Stoicism anthropomorphism Questions to Reflect On - How do you treat animals in frustration? - What does this say about coping mechanisms? A Different Perspective Pets cannot replace human empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Automaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automaton/) [Automaton Provided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automaton-provided-2875817/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Cat Soft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat-soft-1857685/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Indestructible Automaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indestructible-automaton-2875816/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Soft Indestructible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soft-indestructible-2875818/) [When things go wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/when-things-go-wrong/) ## Related quotes > [“If Jason loses this in the surf," Travis said, touching the little sailing ship, "I'll make another one for him." "The surf! Over my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lowell/if-jason-loses-this-in-the-surf-travis-said-touching-the-little/) [Elizabeth Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lowell/) > [The human being is a self-propelled automaton entirely under the control of external influences. Willful and predetermined though they appear, his actions are governed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/the-human-being-is-a-self-propelled-automaton-entirely-under-the/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [Was that Will?" she said finally. Henry arched one ginger eyebrow. "Perhaps he's been kidnapped and replaced by an automaton," he suggested. "It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/was-that-will-she-said-finally-henry-arched-one-ginger-eyebrow/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“In telling a story one of the most successful devices for easily creating uncanny effects is to leave the reader in uncertainty whether a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-jentsch/in-telling-a-story-one-of-the-most-successful-devices-for-easily/) [Ernst Jentsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-jentsch/) > [“Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/do-you-think-i-am-an-automaton-a-machine-without-feelings-and-can-2/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“What was it like to live amidst such machines, to be familiar with them, to have them shape one's earliest intuitions about machinery: how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-riskin/what-was-it-like-to-live-amidst-such-machines-to-be-familiar-with/) [Jessica Riskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-riskin/) > [Charles Babbage proposed to make an automaton chess-player which should register mechanically the number of games lost and gained in consequence of every sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/charles-babbage-proposed-to-make-an-automaton-chess-player-which/) [William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/) > [“A character without motivation is an automaton. They’re just going through the motions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-bransford/a-character-without-motivation-is-an-automaton-they-re-just-going/) [Nathan Bransford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-bransford/) > [“I wish my genius ran to making automatons,” he said. “I would invent one that would follow you around with a tray. It would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-milan/i-wish-my-genius-ran-to-making-automatons-he-said-i-would-invent-one/) [Courtney Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-milan/) > [The person who gives up his individual self and becomes an automaton, identical with millions of other automatons around him, need not feel alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-person-who-gives-up-his-individual-self-and-becomes-an-automaton/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“Alan Turing’s halting problem: you can’t know if the cells will all die off without running the game until they do die off. Thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bookstaber/alan-turing-s-halting-problem-you-can-t-know-if-the-cells-will-all/) [Richard Bookstaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bookstaber/) > [“Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/time-can-play-all-sorts-of-tricks-on-you-in-the-blink-of-an-eye/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [Man becomes virtually an automaton in the loss of his individuality and responsibility. He is the harp of a thousand strings played upon by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grier-hibben/man-becomes-virtually-an-automaton-in-the-loss-of-his-individuality/) [John Grier Hibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grier-hibben/) > [Spiritual joy is what you experience when you choose to give thanks to God no matter what happens-even when things go wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-george/spiritual-joy-is-what-you-experience-when-you-choose-to-give-thanks/) [Jim George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-george/) > [Ceaseless optimism about the future only makes for a greater shock when things go wrong; by fighting to maintain only positive beliefs about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burkeman/ceaseless-optimism-about-the-future-only-makes-for-a-greater-shock/) [Oliver Burkeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burkeman/) ## More by Ambrose Bierce > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard to the greater number of instances men find to be generally inexpedient comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/immoral-adj-inexpedient-whatever-in-the-long-run-and-with-regard-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RUBBISH, n. Worthless matter, such as the religions, philosophies, literatures, arts and sciences of the tribes infesting the regions lying due south from Boreaplas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rubbish-n-worthless-matter-such-as-the-religions-philosophies/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There was never a genius who was not thought a fool until he disclosed himself; whereas he is a fool then only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/there-was-never-a-genius-who-was-not-thought-a-fool-until-he/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/telephone-n-an-invention-of-the-devil-which-abrogates-some-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Jealous, adj. Unduly concerned about the preservation of that which can be lost only if not worth keeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/jealous-adj-unduly-concerned-about-the-preservation-of-that-which-can/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/ridicule-n-words-designed-to-show-that-the-person-of-whom-they-are/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Think twice before you speak to a friend in need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/think-twice-before-you-speak-to-a-friend-in-need/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hermit-n-a-person-whose-vices-and-follies-are-not-sociable/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [TARIFF, n. A scale of taxes on imports, designed to protect the domestic producer against the greed of his consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/tariff-n-a-scale-of-taxes-on-imports-designed-to-protect-the-domestic/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A bad marriage is like an electrical thrilling machine: it makes you dance, but you can't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-bad-marriage-is-like-an-electrical-thrilling-machine-it-makes-you/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Explore all 1,157 Ambrose Bierce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More Automaton quotes > [Man becomes virtually an automaton in the loss of his individuality and responsibility. He is the harp of a thousand strings played upon by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grier-hibben/man-becomes-virtually-an-automaton-in-the-loss-of-his-individuality/) [John Grier Hibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grier-hibben/) > [“Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/time-can-play-all-sorts-of-tricks-on-you-in-the-blink-of-an-eye/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [“Alan Turing’s halting problem: you can’t know if the cells will all die off without running the game until they do die off. Thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bookstaber/alan-turing-s-halting-problem-you-can-t-know-if-the-cells-will-all/) [Richard Bookstaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bookstaber/) > [The person who gives up his individual self and becomes an automaton, identical with millions of other automatons around him, need not feel alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-person-who-gives-up-his-individual-self-and-becomes-an-automaton/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“I wish my genius ran to making automatons,” he said. “I would invent one that would follow you around with a tray. It would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-milan/i-wish-my-genius-ran-to-making-automatons-he-said-i-would-invent-one/) [Courtney Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-milan/) > [“A character without motivation is an automaton. They’re just going through the motions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-bransford/a-character-without-motivation-is-an-automaton-they-re-just-going/) [Nathan Bransford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-bransford/) > [Charles Babbage proposed to make an automaton chess-player which should register mechanically the number of games lost and gained in consequence of every sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/charles-babbage-proposed-to-make-an-automaton-chess-player-which/) [William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/) > [“What was it like to live amidst such machines, to be familiar with them, to have them shape one's earliest intuitions about machinery: how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-riskin/what-was-it-like-to-live-amidst-such-machines-to-be-familiar-with/) [Jessica Riskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-riskin/) > [“Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/do-you-think-i-am-an-automaton-a-machine-without-feelings-and-can-2/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“In telling a story one of the most successful devices for easily creating uncanny effects is to leave the reader in uncertainty whether a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-jentsch/in-telling-a-story-one-of-the-most-successful-devices-for-easily/) [Ernst Jentsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-jentsch/) > [Was that Will?" she said finally. Henry arched one ginger eyebrow. "Perhaps he's been kidnapped and replaced by an automaton," he suggested. "It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/was-that-will-she-said-finally-henry-arched-one-ginger-eyebrow/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [The human being is a self-propelled automaton entirely under the control of external influences. Willful and predetermined though they appear, his actions are governed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/the-human-being-is-a-self-propelled-automaton-entirely-under-the/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) [Browse all 13 Automaton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automaton/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A cat is a soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ambrose Bierce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton-provided-by-nature-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Automaton" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton-provided-by-nature-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/ambrose-bierce-140_automaton_a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton_300969.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/ambrose-bierce-140_automaton_a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton_300969.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/ambrose-bierce-140_automaton_a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton_300969.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A cat is a soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the…” — Ambrose Bierce", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ambrose Bierce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A cat is a soft, indestructible...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton-provided-by-nature-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-cat-is-a-soft-indestructible-automaton-provided-by-nature-to-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```