--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Eliza had a skill for rat catching…" description: "\"“Eliza had a skill for rat catching, though she didn't like to do it. The rats were just trying to stay alive after all, as best they could in a city t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/kate-morton-805_animal-lovers_eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-thoug_1290867.png" --- # Eliza had a skill for rat catching, though she didn't like… ![“Eliza had a skill for rat catching, though she didn't like to do it. The rats were just trying to stay alive after all, as best they could in a city that favored neither the meek nor the mild. She tried not to think what Mother would say- she'd always had a soft spot for animals-” quote by Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/kate-morton-805_animal-lovers_eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-thoug_1290867.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/kate-morton-805_animal-lovers_eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-thoug_1290867.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/kate-morton-805_animal-lovers_eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-thoug_1290867.png) > ““Eliza had a skill for rat catching, though she didn't like to do it. The rats were just trying to stay alive after all, as best they could in a city that favored neither the meek nor the mild. She tried not to think what Mother would say- she'd always had a soft spot for animals-”” [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Eliza is forced to catch rats despite disliking it, highlighting moral conflict between duty and compassion in a harsh city. **In simple terms:** She catches rats she hates, feeling torn between job and kindness. Key Takeaway Balance duty with empathy. Themes moral conflict urban hardship animal welfare Mood conflicted reflective Type narrative ethical When to use this quote - street work - animal rescue - personal values - city life Key Concepts ethical dilemma survival social inequality Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile necessary work with personal ethics? - Can compassion change a harsh environment? A Different Perspective Her actions may perpetuate a system that harms both rats and people. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eliza-makepeace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eliza-makepeace/) [Soft spot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soft-spot/) ## Related quotes > [“As Linus grew into his teens, became even more awkward, with long, gangly arms and odd ginger hairs sprouting from his spotty chin, Georgiana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/as-linus-grew-into-his-teens-became-even-more-awkward-with-long/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Apart from such visits, for the first time in her life Eliza was truly alone. In the beginning, unfamiliar sounds, nocturnal sounds, disturbed her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/apart-from-such-visits-for-the-first-time-in-her-life-eliza-was-truly/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Yesterday morning I managed briefly to escape Mamma, & passed a lovely hour in the roof garden. I thought of you, dearest, & how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/yesterday-morning-i-managed-briefly-to-escape-mamma-passed-a-lovely/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Beneath the notebook she found the book of fairy tales. The cover was green cardboard, the writing gold: 'Magical Tales for Girls and Boys',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/beneath-the-notebook-she-found-the-book-of-fairy-tales-the-cover-was/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“By the time she entered the hidden garden, early light was sifting through the autumn-sparse canopy. Eliza took a deep breath. She'd come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/by-the-time-she-entered-the-hidden-garden-early-light-was-sifting/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Girls in Victorian London were employed in all manner of menial positions- domestic servants, fruit sellers, flower girls- and Eliza's depiction of mangles and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/girls-in-victorian-london-were-employed-in-all-manner-of-menial/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“A silver hairbrush, old and surely precious, with a little leopard's head for London stamped near the bristles. A white dress, small and pretty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/a-silver-hairbrush-old-and-surely-precious-with-a-little-leopard-s/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Eliza had split each day between her two favorite places on the estate: the black rock down in the cove, on top of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/eliza-had-split-each-day-between-her-two-favorite-places-on-the/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Even when they were very small Eliza had known that Sammy needed her more than she needed him, even before he caught the fever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/even-when-they-were-very-small-eliza-had-known-that-sammy-needed-her/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“She forced herself to stroll casually and appraise her plants. The wisteria was shedding its final leaves, the jasmine had long lost its flowers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/she-forced-herself-to-stroll-casually-and-appraise-her-plants-the/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Research has shown that dogs and cats can feel happy or sad, excited or disappointed, depressed or elated, and that these feelings may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fitzpatrick/research-has-shown-that-dogs-and-cats-can-feel-happy-or-sad-excited/) Noel Fitzpatrick > [“A suffering or tortured animal always filled her with such a surge of sympathy that it lifted her clean out of herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/a-suffering-or-tortured-animal-always-filled-her-with-such-a-surge-of/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“Most animals are loving and kind. They feel pain, joy, and happiness. They also love and care for their babies. If you can’t love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/most-animals-are-loving-and-kind-they-feel-pain-joy-and-happiness/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“I don't believe in 'ownership' of a sentient life - I think we undertake volitional guardianship and that this bringing forth can be one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fitzpatrick/i-don-t-believe-in-ownership-of-a-sentient-life-i-think-we-undertake/) Noel Fitzpatrick > [“For the dog, colour doesn't matter, reputation doesn't matter, wealth doesn't matter. Dogs see us all as equals. They live in the present and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fitzpatrick/for-the-dog-colour-doesn-t-matter-reputation-doesn-t-matter-wealth/) Noel Fitzpatrick ## More by Kate Morton > [“Laurel wondered whether perhaps a person reached an age when so much was kept from them, so many details of life discussed and decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/laurel-wondered-whether-perhaps-a-person-reached-an-age-when-so-much/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“It hardly needs to be said: sooner or later secrets have a way of making themselves known.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/it-hardly-needs-to-be-said-sooner-or-later-secrets-have-a-way-of/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Give someone more time and they'll appear to have done more with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/give-someone-more-time-and-they-ll-appear-to-have-done-more-with-it/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“It suddenly seemed to Laurel that all the absences in her own life, every loss and sadness, every nightmare in the dark, every unexplained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/it-suddenly-seemed-to-laurel-that-all-the-absences-in-her-own-life/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Rejection is a cancer, Edie. It eats away at a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/rejection-is-a-cancer-edie-it-eats-away-at-a-person/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“home is a magnet that lures back even its most abstracted children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/home-is-a-magnet-that-lures-back-even-its-most-abstracted-children/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“tiempo tiene su peculiar manera de moldear a la gente de forma que ellos mismos ya no se reconocen,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/tiempo-tiene-su-peculiar-manera-de-moldear-a-la-gente-de-forma-que/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“I want to know how it feels to be altered by life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/i-want-to-know-how-it-feels-to-be-altered-by-life/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“She'd opened the front cover and fallen inside the wonderful, frightening, magical illustrations. She'd wondered what it must feel like to escape the rigid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/she-d-opened-the-front-cover-and-fallen-inside-the-wonderful/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [It's special, grandparents and grandchldren. So much simpler. Is it always so, I wonder? I think perhaps it is. While one's child takes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/it-s-special-grandparents-and-grandchldren-so-much-simpler-is-it/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“... and I thought -not for the first time- what a true and simple pleasure it was, to be inside and sated when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/and-i-thought-not-for-the-first-time-what-a-true-and-simple-pleasure/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Nell was like a witch. Her long silvery hair rolled into a bun on the back of her head, the narrow wooden house on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/nell-was-like-a-witch-her-long-silvery-hair-rolled-into-a-bun-on-the/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Thinking of nothing. Trying to think of nothing. Thinking of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/thinking-of-nothing-trying-to-think-of-nothing-thinking-of-everything/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [There's a market for mysteries for adults. That feeling of opening a book and delving inside and not coming out until you've closed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/there-s-a-market-for-mysteries-for-adults-that-feeling-of-opening-a/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“I don’t have many friends, not the living, breathing sort at any rate. And I don’t mean that in a sad and lonely way;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/i-don-t-have-many-friends-not-the-living-breathing-sort-at-any-rate/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) [Explore all 334 Kate Morton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) ## More Animal-lovers quotes > [“I don't believe in 'ownership' of a sentient life - I think we undertake volitional guardianship and that this bringing forth can be one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fitzpatrick/i-don-t-believe-in-ownership-of-a-sentient-life-i-think-we-undertake/) Noel Fitzpatrick > [“Research has shown that dogs and cats can feel happy or sad, excited or disappointed, depressed or elated, and that these feelings may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fitzpatrick/research-has-shown-that-dogs-and-cats-can-feel-happy-or-sad-excited/) Noel Fitzpatrick > [“For the dog, colour doesn't matter, reputation doesn't matter, wealth doesn't matter. Dogs see us all as equals. They live in the present and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fitzpatrick/for-the-dog-colour-doesn-t-matter-reputation-doesn-t-matter-wealth/) Noel Fitzpatrick > [“A suffering or tortured animal always filled her with such a surge of sympathy that it lifted her clean out of herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/a-suffering-or-tortured-animal-always-filled-her-with-such-a-surge-of/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“Most animals are loving and kind. They feel pain, joy, and happiness. They also love and care for their babies. If you can’t love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/most-animals-are-loving-and-kind-they-feel-pain-joy-and-happiness/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) Browse all 6 Animal-lovers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Eliza had a skill for rat catching, though she didn't like to do it. The rats were just trying to stay alive after all, as best they could in a city that favored neither the meek nor the mild. She tried not to think what Mother would say- she'd always had a soft spot for animals-”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate Morton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-though-she-didn-t-like-to-do-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal-lovers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-though-she-didn-t-like-to-do-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/kate-morton-805_animal-lovers_eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-thoug_1290867.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/kate-morton-805_animal-lovers_eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-thoug_1290867.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/kate-morton-805_animal-lovers_eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-thoug_1290867.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Eliza had a skill for rat catching, though she didn't like to do it. The rats were just trying to stay alive…” — Kate Morton", "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 Morton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Eliza had a skill for rat...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-though-she-didn-t-like-to-do-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/eliza-had-a-skill-for-rat-catching-though-she-didn-t-like-to-do-it/#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 } } ] } ```