--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe this was why people filled their…" description: "\"“Maybe this was why people filled their house with stinking cats, so they didn't notice that they were alone, so they wouldn't die without a living sou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/kate-atkinson-1265_cats_maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-h_2565747.jpg" --- # Maybe this was why people filled their house with stinking… ![“Maybe this was why people filled their house with stinking cats, so they didn't notice that they were alone, so they wouldn't die without a living soul noticing.” quote by Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/kate-atkinson-1265_cats_maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-h_2565747.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/kate-atkinson-1265_cats_maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-h_2565747.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/kate-atkinson-1265_cats_maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-h_2565747.jpg) > ““Maybe this was why people filled their house with stinking cats, so they didn't notice that they were alone, so they wouldn't die without a living soul noticing.”” [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People create distractions to avoid confronting loneliness and the fear of dying unnoticed. **In simple terms:** Distractions mask loneliness and fear of death. Key Takeaway Recognize and face solitude directly. Themes loneliness fear distraction existence Mood melancholic contemplative Type literary existential When to use this quote - living alone - grieving - mental health - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology existentialism coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - What would you notice if you stopped distracting yourself? - How can you find meaning in solitude? A Different Perspective Distractions can also provide temporary comfort and social connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) ## Related quotes > [“But cats are good at steering people. A miaow here, a purr there, a little gentle pressure with a claw . . . and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-cats-are-good-at-steering-people-a-miaow-here-a-purr-there-a/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Cats didn't start as mousers. Weasels and snakes and dogs are more efficient as rodent-control agents. I postulate that cats started as psychic companions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/cats-didn-t-start-as-mousers-weasels-and-snakes-and-dogs-are-more/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Ok, she was close to being right. I did have a thing about cats. And I didn’t particularly have a good reason for feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-raiser/ok-she-was-close-to-being-right-i-did-have-a-thing-about-cats-and-i/) [Kimberly Raiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-raiser/) > [Evidence indicates that cats were first tamed in Egypt. The Egyptians stored grain, which attracted rodents, which attracted cats. (No evidence that such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/evidence-indicates-that-cats-were-first-tamed-in-egypt-the-egyptians/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I auditioned for 'Cats' - I didn't sing but I was able to cough up a hairball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-miller/i-auditioned-for-cats-i-didn-t-sing-but-i-was-able-to-cough-up-a/) [Stephanie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-miller/) > [Uncertainty worries us. Maybe that's why so many people live in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/uncertainty-worries-us-maybe-that-s-why-so-many-people-live-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Maybe some people just aren't meant to be in our lives forever. Maybe some people are just passing through. It's like some people just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/maybe-some-people-just-aren-t-meant-to-be-in-our-lives-forever-maybe-2/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [I think that maybe people comment on the internet because they never know if they're going to be able to meet that one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-think-that-maybe-people-comment-on-the-internet-because-they-never/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [Maybe some people just aren't meant to be in our lives forever. Maybe some people are just passing through. It's like some people just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/maybe-some-people-just-aren-t-meant-to-be-in-our-lives-forever-maybe/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [Maybe that's why people have friends at all. 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Maybe people weren't meant to be together forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-valli/people-don-t-get-married-to-get-divorced-maybe-people-weren-t-meant/) [Frankie Valli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-valli/) > [I just always think, 'Do I like it?' And if I like it, maybe other people will come and like it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/i-just-always-think-do-i-like-it-and-if-i-like-it-maybe-other-people/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [“Maybe some people were destined to be alone. But, I reminded myself, you're never alone if you read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-raisin/maybe-some-people-were-destined-to-be-alone-but-i-reminded-myself-you/) [Rebecca Raisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-raisin/) ## More by Kate Atkinson > [“Sweet sixteen," Hugh said, kissing her affectionately. "Happy birthday, little bear. Your future's all ahead of you." Ursula still harbored the feeling that some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/sweet-sixteen-hugh-said-kissing-her-affectionately-happy-birthday/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“He had made a vow, a private promise to the world in the long dark watches of the night, that if he did survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/he-had-made-a-vow-a-private-promise-to-the-world-in-the-long-dark/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“When she was little they had lived in an old farmhouse too, in the middle of nothing of but landscape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-she-was-little-they-had-lived-in-an-old-farmhouse-too-in-the/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“Do you keep time in the same place that you save it? If so why is it always so difficult to find? It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/do-you-keep-time-in-the-same-place-that-you-save-it-if-so-why-is-it/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I was on the verge of something numinous and profound and in one more second the universe was going to crack open and arcana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-was-on-the-verge-of-something-numinous-and-profound-and-in-one-more/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I feel as if I’m waiting for something dreadful to happen, and then I realize it already has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-feel-as-if-i-m-waiting-for-something-dreadful-to-happen-and-then-i/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“If she had been in charge of designing the human race she would have gone about things differently. (A golden shaft of light through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/if-she-had-been-in-charge-of-designing-the-human-race-she-would-have/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-beginning-is-the-word-and-the-end-is-silence-and-in-between-are/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“The only way to stop the tears was to keep drinking the whisky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-only-way-to-stop-the-tears-was-to-keep-drinking-the-whisky/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I don't want to spoil the magic, but it's a very curious thing that honestly baffles me. It's the nearest we'll ever get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-don-t-want-to-spoil-the-magic-but-it-s-a-very-curious-thing-that/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“What did science ever do for the world, apart from make better ways of killing people?” Sylvie said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/what-did-science-ever-do-for-the-world-apart-from-make-better-ways-of/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/because-i-write-fiction-i-don-t-write-autobiography-and-to-me-they/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“she could see Sylvie and her friends on the lawn below, their dresses fluttering like moths in the encroaching dusk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/she-could-see-sylvie-and-her-friends-on-the-lawn-below-their-dresses/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“misquote Edmund Burke rather than Milton. All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/misquote-edmund-burke-rather-than-milton-all-that-is-necessary-for/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) [Explore all 261 Kate Atkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) ## 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. 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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": "“Maybe this was why people filled their house with stinking cats, so they didn't notice that they were alone, so they wouldn't die without a living soul noticing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate Atkinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-house-with-stinking-cats-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-house-with-stinking-cats-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/kate-atkinson-1265_cats_maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-h_2565747.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/kate-atkinson-1265_cats_maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-h_2565747.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/kate-atkinson-1265_cats_maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-h_2565747.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Maybe this was why people filled their house with stinking cats, so they didn't notice that they were alone…” — Kate Atkinson", "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": "Kate Atkinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Maybe this was why people filled...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-house-with-stinking-cats-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/maybe-this-was-why-people-filled-their-house-with-stinking-cats-so/#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 } } ] } ```