--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to have a cat, an old fighting…" description: "\"I used to have a cat, an old fighting tom, who would jump through the open window by my bed in the middle of the night and land on my chest. I'd half-a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/annie-dillard-509_bed_i-used-to-have-a-cat-an-old-fighting-tom_1692291.jpg" --- # I used to have a cat, an old fighting tom, who would jump… ![“I used to have a cat, an old fighting tom, who would jump through the open window by my bed in the middle of the night and land on my chest. I'd half-awaken. He'd stick his skull under my nose and purr, stinking of urine and blood. Some nights he kneaded my bare chest with his front paws…” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/annie-dillard-509_bed_i-used-to-have-a-cat-an-old-fighting-tom_1692291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/annie-dillard-509_bed_i-used-to-have-a-cat-an-old-fighting-tom_1692291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/annie-dillard-509_bed_i-used-to-have-a-cat-an-old-fighting-tom_1692291.jpg) > “I used to have a cat, an old fighting tom, who would jump through the open window by my bed in the middle of the night and land on my chest. I'd half-awaken. He'd stick his skull under my nose and purr, stinking of urine and blood. Some nights he kneaded my bare chest with his front paws, powerfully, arching his back, as if sharpening his claws, or pummeling a mother for milk. And some mornings I'd wake in daylight to find my body covered with paw prints in blood; I looked as though I'd been painted with roses.” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The vivid, visceral description of a cat’s nocturnal visits reveals the intimate, sometimes painful bond between human and animal, highlighting mortality and raw nature. **In simple terms:** A cat’s nightly visits are intense and sometimes bloody. Key Takeaway Recognize the raw, honest moments in relationships. Themes mortality intimacy nature Mood reflective somber Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - nighttime reflections - pet care - accepting imperfection Key Concepts animal behavior human-animal bond Questions to Reflect On - What does the cat symbolize for you? - How do you cope with unsettling intimacy? A Different Perspective The graphic detail may overwhelm some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Daylight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daylight/) [Middle of the night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-of-the-night/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) ## Related quotes > [People leave imprints on our lives, shaping who we become in much the same way that a symbol is pressed into the page of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashly-lorenzana/people-leave-imprints-on-our-lives-shaping-who-we-become-in-much-the/) [Ashly Lorenzana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashly-lorenzana/) > [Be sure to incorporate your pooch into your daily activities to make her feel like a true family member. 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I would get Skip to prop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-morris/when-i-started-driving-our-old-four-door-green-desoto-i-always-took/) [Willie Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-morris/) > [There will be three cats, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find a fourth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-will-be-three-cats-kin-of-your-kin-with-the-power-of-the-stars/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her father had taught her about hands. About a dog's paws. 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In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Bed quotes > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. 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