--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have a dog or a cat, you know how…" description: "\"If you have a dog or a cat, you know how developed they can be. How sensitive, how aware. They suffer. We all do.\" — Lily Tomlin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/lily-tomlin-3278_cat_if-you-have-a-dog-or-a-cat-you-know-how_2970115.png" --- # If you have a dog or a cat, you know how developed they… ![“If you have a dog or a cat, you know how developed they can be. How sensitive, how aware. They suffer. We all do.” quote by Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/lily-tomlin-3278_cat_if-you-have-a-dog-or-a-cat-you-know-how_2970115.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/lily-tomlin-3278_cat_if-you-have-a-dog-or-a-cat-you-know-how_2970115.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/lily-tomlin-3278_cat_if-you-have-a-dog-or-a-cat-you-know-how_2970115.png) > “If you have a dog or a cat, you know how developed they can be. How sensitive, how aware. They suffer. We all do.” [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pets exhibit deep sensitivity and suffering, reflecting broader shared pain. **In simple terms:** Dogs and cats are sensitive, suffer, and remind us of universal pain. Key Takeaway Recognize and alleviate suffering in all beings. Themes sensitivity pain shared experience Mood compassionate thoughtful Type ethical reflective When to use this quote - pet care - mental health - compassion work Key Concepts empathy animal welfare human condition Questions to Reflect On - How can you reduce suffering? - What does pet empathy teach you? A Different Perspective Human suffering can be more complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [I was guilty of using beauty products without consulting a dermatologist. So I've developed a sensitive skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-keech/i-was-guilty-of-using-beauty-products-without-consulting-a/) [Hazel Keech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-keech/) > [Inside each of us is a unique person resulting from millennia of environment and heredity combined in a way that could never happen again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/inside-each-of-us-is-a-unique-person-resulting-from-millennia-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“You know who does it right? You know who does loving right?” “Who?” “Nobody. I mean, people can’t even … If you get a cat because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/you-know-who-does-it-right-you-know-who-does-loving-right-who-nobody/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“sixteenth-century philosopher Michel de Montaigne once wrote, “When I play with my cat, how do I know that she is not playing with me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/sixteenth-century-philosopher-michel-de-montaigne-once-wrote-when-i/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“If you’ve got a cozy mystery, and a dog is introduced, readers’ first question is, ‘Does the dog die?’ They never ask about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-b-inglee/if-you-ve-got-a-cozy-mystery-and-a-dog-is-introduced-readers-first/) K.B. Inglee > [“When I play with my cat, how do I know that she is not playing with me rather than I with her?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/when-i-play-with-my-cat-how-do-i-know-that-she-is-not-playing-with-me/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“The cat is yours; and you know it's far more demonic than we are. I'll not have it sleeping on my head again." "It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hunter/the-cat-is-yours-and-you-know-it-s-far-more-demonic-than-we-are-i-ll/) [Elizabeth Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hunter/) > [I don met all kinds of ladies, I don beat all kind of cat. I know just how to get it right, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/webbie/i-don-met-all-kinds-of-ladies-i-don-beat-all-kind-of-cat-i-know-just/) Webbie > [“When you're a cat, most of the time you're thinking about cat things. Little movements in the grass, cupboards that aren't quite closed, patches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-kladstrup/when-you-re-a-cat-most-of-the-time-you-re-thinking-about-cat-things/) [Kristin Kladstrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-kladstrup/) > [Even the stupidest cat seems to know more than any dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/even-the-stupidest-cat-seems-to-know-more-than-any-dog/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [Cats of great personality are always found in association with sensitive, cat-conscious people; it is a two-way process of immense mutual benefit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-moyes/cats-of-great-personality-are-always-found-in-association-with/) [Patricia Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-moyes/) > [It ain't because lovers are so sensitive that they quarrel so often; it is because there is so much fun n the making up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/it-ain-t-because-lovers-are-so-sensitive-that-they-quarrel-so-often/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) ## More by Lily Tomlin > [If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in a library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/if-truth-is-beauty-how-come-no-one-has-their-hair-done-in-a-library/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“So if you've had a good time tonight, or if you've had a good time any night, for gosh sake's why not drop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/so-if-you-ve-had-a-good-time-tonight-or-if-you-ve-had-a-good-time-any/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/forgiveness-means-giving-up-all-hope-for-a-better-past/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I bought a box of animal crackers, but there was nothing inside. They'd eaten each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-bought-a-box-of-animal-crackers-but-there-was-nothing-inside-they-d/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Wouldn't it be great if we all grew up to be what we wanted to be? The world would be full of nurses, firemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-we-all-grew-up-to-be-what-we-wanted-to-be-the/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [You know being relevant or coming up with something interesting, funny to say about what's current is just as hard as it might ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/you-know-being-relevant-or-coming-up-with-something-interesting-funny/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I wanted to be a stage actress. I wanted to be a New York actress and have a community with other actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-wanted-to-be-a-stage-actress-i-wanted-to-be-a-new-york-actress-and/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [We have reason to believe that man first walked upright to free his hands for masturbation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/we-have-reason-to-believe-that-man-first-walked-upright-to-free-his/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/we-don-t-care-we-don-t-have-to-we-re-the-phone-company/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [No matter how cynical I get, I can't keep up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/no-matter-how-cynical-i-get-i-can-t-keep-up/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [In the depths of the night, fear grips my heart. It paralyzes my mind. But most of all, I feel very, very alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/in-the-depths-of-the-night-fear-grips-my-heart-it-paralyzes-my-mind/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. And then I realized I was somebody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-always-wondered-why-somebody-didn-t-do-something-about-that-and/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/sometimes-i-worry-about-being-a-success-in-a-mediocre-world/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [And yet humanity is so not evolved that how can you expect anything absolutely major to happen? Look how long, we move ahead in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/and-yet-humanity-is-so-not-evolved-that-how-can-you-expect-anything/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [The whole idea of being in captivity in such limited space, especially in a zoo, causes elephants to suffer. They develop all kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/the-whole-idea-of-being-in-captivity-in-such-limited-space-especially/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) [Explore all 135 Lily Tomlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) ## More Cat quotes > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [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/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [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/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [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 olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [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/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [Man wishes woman to be peaceable, but in fact she is essentially warlike, like the cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/man-wishes-woman-to-be-peaceable-but-in-fact-she-is-essentially/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [There are videos I used to take at home, pretending to be a newscaster, interviewing the teapot or my house cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wagner/there-are-videos-i-used-to-take-at-home-pretending-to-be-a-newscaster/) [Alex Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wagner/) [Browse all 2,996 Cat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you have a dog or a cat, you know how developed they can be. 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