--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The cat is domestic only as far as suits…" description: "\"The cat is domestic only as far as suits its own ends...\" — Hector Hugh Munro" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/hector-hugh-munro-11761_animal_the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits_1844932.jpg" --- # The cat is domestic only as far as suits its own ends... ![“The cat is domestic only as far as suits its own ends...” quote by Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/hector-hugh-munro-11761_animal_the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits_1844932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/hector-hugh-munro-11761_animal_the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits_1844932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/hector-hugh-munro-11761_animal_the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits_1844932.jpg) > “The cat is domestic only as far as suits its own ends...” [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The cat behaves domestically only when it serves its own interests, revealing self‑serving motives behind apparent affection. **In simple terms:** Cats act friendly when it benefits them. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden motives in relationships. Themes self‑interest animal behavior trust Mood cautious analytical Type observational reflective When to use this quote - pet ownership - household dynamics - observing animal cues Key Concepts behavioral ecology anthropomorphism Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate genuine care from self‑service? - What signs reveal true intentions? A Different Perspective Animals may feign loyalty for personal gain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Funny cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-cat/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Kitten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitten/) [Pet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pet/) ## Related quotes > [A cat is the only domestic animal I know who toilet trains itself and does a damned impressive job of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/a-cat-is-the-only-domestic-animal-i-know-who-toilet-trains-itself-and/) [Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/) > [I believe cats to be spirits come to earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/i-believe-cats-to-be-spirits-come-to-earth/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [A kitten is the most irresistible comedian in the world. 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In photos most cats look like sociopaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/dogs-seem-more-photogenic-than-cats-in-photos-most-cats-look-like/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [If the claws didn't retract, cats would be like Velcro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-fogle/if-the-claws-didn-t-retract-cats-would-be-like-velcro/) Bruce Fogle > [The cat seldom interferes with other people's rights. His intelligence keeps him from doing many of the fool things that complicate life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-van-vechten/the-cat-seldom-interferes-with-other-people-s-rights-his-intelligence/) [Carl Van Vechten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-van-vechten/) > [If you want to write, keep cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/if-you-want-to-write-keep-cats/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Women do not snore, burp, sweat, or pass gas. Therefore, they must Bitch or they will BLOW UP!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/women-do-not-snore-burp-sweat-or-pass-gas-therefore-they-must-bitch/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A cat determined not to be found can fold itself up like a pocket handkerchief if it wants to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-j-camuti/a-cat-determined-not-to-be-found-can-fold-itself-up-like-a-pocket/) [Louis J. Camuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-j-camuti/) ## More by Hector Hugh Munro > [The cat of the slums and alleys, starved, outcast, harried, still keeps amid the prowlings of its adversity the bold, free, panther-tread with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/the-cat-of-the-slums-and-alleys-starved-outcast-harried-still-keeps/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [If he had unlimited money at his disposal, he might go into the wilds somewhere and shoot big game. I never know what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/if-he-had-unlimited-money-at-his-disposal-he-might-go-into-the-wilds/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [Whenever a massacre of Armenians is reported from Asia Minor, every one assumes that it has been carried out "under orders" from somewhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/whenever-a-massacre-of-armenians-is-reported-from-asia-minor-every/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [Sherard Blaw, the dramatist who had discovered himself, and who had given so ungrudgingly of his discovery to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/sherard-blaw-the-dramatist-who-had-discovered-himself-and-who-had/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [All decent people live beyond their incomes; those who aren't respectable live beyond other people's; a few gifted individuals manage to do both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/all-decent-people-live-beyond-their-incomes-those-who-aren-t/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [A beautifully constructed borshch, such as you are going to experience presently, ought not only to banish conversation but almost to annihilate thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/a-beautifully-constructed-borshch-such-as-you-are-going-to-experience/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [The revenge of an elder sister may be long in coming, but, like a South-Eastern express, it arrives in its own good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/the-revenge-of-an-elder-sister-may-be-long-in-coming-but-like-a-south/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [Great Socialist statesmen aren't made, they're still-born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/great-socialist-statesmen-aren-t-made-they-re-still-born/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [I am not collecting copies of the cheaper editions of Omar Khayyám. I gave the last four that I received to the lift-boy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/i-am-not-collecting-copies-of-the-cheaper-editions-of-omar-khayy-m-i/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [He seems the incarnation of everything soft and silky and velvety, without a sharp edge in his composition, a dreamer whose philosophy is sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/he-seems-the-incarnation-of-everything-soft-and-silky-and-velvety/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [Hating anything in the way of ill-natured gossip ourselves, we are always grateful to those who do it for us and do it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/hating-anything-in-the-way-of-ill-natured-gossip-ourselves-we-are/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [It's no use growing older if you only learn new ways of misbehaving yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/it-s-no-use-growing-older-if-you-only-learn-new-ways-of-misbehaving/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [I believe I once considerably scandalized her by declaring that clear soup was a more important factor in life than a clear conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/i-believe-i-once-considerably-scandalized-her-by-declaring-that-clear/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [The man is a common murderer. A common murderer, possible, but a very uncommon cook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/the-man-is-a-common-murderer-a-common-murderer-possible-but-a-very/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) > [There may have been disillusionments in the lives of the medieval saints, but they would scarcely have been better pleased if they could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/there-may-have-been-disillusionments-in-the-lives-of-the-medieval/) [Hector Hugh Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) [Explore all 58 Hector Hugh Munro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. 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The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The cat is domestic only as far as suits its own ends...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hector Hugh Munro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits-its-own-ends/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits-its-own-ends/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/hector-hugh-munro-11761_animal_the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits_1844932.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/hector-hugh-munro-11761_animal_the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits_1844932.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/hector-hugh-munro-11761_animal_the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits_1844932.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The cat is domestic only as far as suits its own ends...” — Hector Hugh Munro", "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": "Hector Hugh Munro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-hugh-munro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The cat is domestic only as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits-its-own-ends/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-hugh-munro/the-cat-is-domestic-only-as-far-as-suits-its-own-ends/#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 } } ] } ```