---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You got cats at home?\" \"No cats. Only a…"
description: "\"“You got cats at home?\" \"No cats. Only a husband.”\" — Jhumpa Lahiri"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/jhumpa-lahiri-1596_cats_you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husb_2075292.png"
---

#  You got cats at home?" "No cats. Only a husband.

![“You got cats at home?&quot; &quot;No cats. Only a husband.” quote by Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/jhumpa-lahiri-1596_cats_you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husb_2075292.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/jhumpa-lahiri-1596_cats_you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husb_2075292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/jhumpa-lahiri-1596_cats_you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husb_2075292.png)

> ““You got cats at home?" "No cats. Only a husband.””

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A humorous exchange reveals that a husband is the only “cat” present, implying marital companionship over pets.

**In simple terms:** Husband replaces cats.

Key Takeaway

Value companionship over material things.

Themes

marriage humor expectation

Mood

lighthearted insightful

Type

literary conversational

When to use this quote

- dating
- family planning
- cultural assimilation
- home life

Key Concepts

cultural commentary relationships identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “cat” symbolize here?
- How do you prioritize relationships?

A Different Perspective

Humor may mask deeper relational tensions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-life/)

## Related quotes

> [The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-main-advantage-of-working-at-home-is-that-you-get-to-find-out/)

[Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/)

> [Who needs a girlfriend when I got cats!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-needs-a-girlfriend-when-i-got-cats/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I have two cats at home in Minnesota with my family. Beau and Skippy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-leigh-cook/i-have-two-cats-at-home-in-minnesota-with-my-family-beau-and-skippy/)

[Rachael Leigh Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-leigh-cook/)

> [Once I was gone for a month and I was just miserable, so I flew back from Florida for two hours just to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-poundstone/once-i-was-gone-for-a-month-and-i-was-just-miserable-so-i-flew-back/)

[Paula Poundstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-poundstone/)

> [“One of my biggest fears is that I'm going to die alone in my home, and my cats will eat me because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-jae-baeli/one-of-my-biggest-fears-is-that-i-m-going-to-die-alone-in-my-home-and/)

[Kelli Jae Baeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-jae-baeli/)

> [“Regarding politics: You've got your cats on one side and your dogs on the other. Someone has to walk the fence and feed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-palla/regarding-politics-you-ve-got-your-cats-on-one-side-and-your-dogs-on/)

[Ray Palla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-palla/)

> [Sorry, I love the internet. Since I got my cats, I don't look at clips so much. Like a teenage boy with a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-millican/sorry-i-love-the-internet-since-i-got-my-cats-i-don-t-look-at-clips/)

[Sarah Millican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-millican/)

> [I haven't got anything against cats. I haven't got anything against elk either, but that doesn't mean I'm going to keep one in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-block/i-haven-t-got-anything-against-cats-i-haven-t-got-anything-against/)

[Lawrence Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-block/)

> [“Polygamy is about sex, whereas monogamy is about love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/polygamy-is-about-sex-whereas-monogamy-is-about-love/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“It is lack of communication that leads to unhappy marriage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-lack-of-communication-that-leads-to-unhappy-marriage/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I have no way of knowing whether or not you married the wrong person. But I do know that if you treat the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/i-have-no-way-of-knowing-whether-or-not-you-married-the-wrong-person/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [“The beginnings of marriage can be a tough phase because it's the time when two individuals are learning to synchronize their hearts, minds, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyoti-patel/the-beginnings-of-marriage-can-be-a-tough-phase-because-it-s-the-time/)

[Jyoti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyoti-patel/)

> [“Relationship math suggests that It is rare for two people to enter marriage and one person is to blame for everything that goes wrong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/relationship-math-suggests-that-it-is-rare-for-two-people-to-enter/)

[Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/)

> [“Successful couples learn the secret of fighting for their relationship rather than against one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-farrel/successful-couples-learn-the-secret-of-fighting-for-their/)

[Bill Farrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-farrel/)

> [I had only two offers of marriage in my life, and I refused both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-helen-spence/i-had-only-two-offers-of-marriage-in-my-life-and-i-refused-both/)

[Catherine Helen Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-helen-spence/)

## More by Jhumpa Lahiri

> [“Assured by his grades and his apparent indifference to girls, his parents don't suspect Gogol of being, in his own fumbling way, an American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/assured-by-his-grades-and-his-apparent-indifference-to-girls-his/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [...that in spite of living in a mansion an American is not above wearing a pair of secondhand pants, bought for fifty cents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/that-in-spite-of-living-in-a-mansion-an-american-is-not-above-wearing/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [He owned an expensive camera that required thought before you pressed the shutter, and I quickly became his favorite subject, round-faced, missing teeth, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/he-owned-an-expensive-camera-that-required-thought-before-you-pressed/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [If I stop to think about fans, or best-selling, or not best-selling, or good reviews, or not-good reviews, it just becomes too much. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/if-i-stop-to-think-about-fans-or-best-selling-or-not-best-selling-or/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [“This tradition doesn't exist for Bengalis, naming a son after father or grandfather, a daughter after mother or grandmother. This sign of respect in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/this-tradition-doesn-t-exist-for-bengalis-naming-a-son-after-father/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [I wanted to pull away from the things that marked my parents as being different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/i-wanted-to-pull-away-from-the-things-that-marked-my-parents-as-being/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [“Ashoke suspects that Mrs. Jones (the secretary at his new job as a professor) ...is about his own mother's age. Mrs. Jones leads a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/ashoke-suspects-that-mrs-jones-the-secretary-at-his-new-job-as-a/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [But she has gathered that Americans, in spite of their public declarations of affection, in spite of their miniskirts and bikinis, in spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/but-she-has-gathered-that-americans-in-spite-of-their-public/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/the-sky-was-different-without-color-taut-and-unforgiving-but-the/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [“In those six weeks I regarded her arrival as I would the arrival of a coming month, or season - something inevitable, but meaningless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/in-those-six-weeks-i-regarded-her-arrival-as-i-would-the-arrival-of-a/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [There were times Ruma felt closer to her mother in death than she had in life, an intimacy born simply of thinking of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/there-were-times-ruma-felt-closer-to-her-mother-in-death-than-she-had/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [“Writing down call numbers with short pencils, searching up and down aisles that would turn dark when the timers on the lights expired. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/writing-down-call-numbers-with-short-pencils-searching-up-and-down/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [Winning the Pulitzer is wonderful and it's an honor and I feel so humbled and so grateful, but I think that I'll think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/winning-the-pulitzer-is-wonderful-and-it-s-an-honor-and-i-feel-so/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [He tries to peel the image from the sticky yellow backing, to show her the next time he sees her, but it clings stubbornly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/he-tries-to-peel-the-image-from-the-sticky-yellow-backing-to-show-her/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

> [“If I stop to think about fans, or bestselling, or not bestselling, or good reviews, or not-good reviews, it just becomes too much. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/if-i-stop-to-think-about-fans-or-bestselling-or-not-bestselling-or/)

[Jhumpa Lahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

[Explore all 215 Jhumpa Lahiri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/)

## More Cats quotes

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [I liked Cats as a kid, now its hard to say. I dont live in New York anymore so dont see so many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-moennig/i-liked-cats-as-a-kid-now-its-hard-to-say-i-dont-live-in-new-york/)

[Katherine Moennig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-moennig/)

> [“The next day, Trixie pawed Maddie awake, patting her arm gently. “I’m up,” Maddie groaned, blinking sleep out of her eyes. “Mrrow.” Trixie peered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinty-james/the-next-day-trixie-pawed-maddie-awake-patting-her-arm-gently-i-m-up/)

Jinty James

> [“So Nikki came aboard as Jaqueline's spare cat, presumably in case our prime cat, Eliza, goes on vacation, takes industrial action, or requests a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-s-wren/so-nikki-came-aboard-as-jaqueline-s-spare-cat-presumably-in-case-our/)

Christopher S. Wren

> [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/)

[Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/)

> [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/)

[Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/)

> [When I see things through my eyes, I don't want to ever just be really negative towards someone's performance. There are many ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/when-i-see-things-through-my-eyes-i-don-t-want-to-ever-just-be-really/)

[Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/)

> [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [Kittens can happen to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/kittens-can-happen-to-anyone/)

[Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/)

> [“Curiosity killed the cat, but not before teaching her that honey bees are not sweet, tweeting birds are slow to react, mice can serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/curiosity-killed-the-cat-but-not-before-teaching-her-that-honey-bees/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [“Quin took on the air of someone who has just realized it's time for the yearly visit to the spinster great-aunt in a desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-fecteau/quin-took-on-the-air-of-someone-who-has-just-realized-it-s-time-for/)

[Amy Fecteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-fecteau/)

> [“Save for the ancient Egyptians, he found, virtually no one kept cats as pets until the latter part of the 1700s. The first people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-mcauliffe/save-for-the-ancient-egyptians-he-found-virtually-no-one-kept-cats-as/)

[Kathleen McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-mcauliffe/)

[Browse all 3,253 Cats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“You got cats at home?\" \"No cats. Only a husband.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jhumpa Lahiri"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husband/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cats"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husband/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/jhumpa-lahiri-1596_cats_you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husb_2075292.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/jhumpa-lahiri-1596_cats_you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husb_2075292.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/jhumpa-lahiri-1596_cats_you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husb_2075292.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You got cats at home?\" \"No cats. Only a husband.” — Jhumpa Lahiri",
                "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": "Jhumpa Lahiri",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhumpa-lahiri/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“You got cats at home?\" \"No...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husband/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhumpa-lahiri/you-got-cats-at-home-no-cats-only-a-husband/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
