---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are pretty sure that we and our pets…"
description: "\"We are pretty sure that we and our pets share the same reality, until one day we come home to find that our wistful, intelligent friend who reminds us ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/merrill-markoe-11235_boxes_we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets_1758662.jpg"
---

#  We are pretty sure that we and our pets share the same…

![“We are pretty sure that we and our pets share the same reality, until one day we come home to find that our wistful, intelligent friend who reminds us of our better self has decided a good way to spend the day is to open a box of Brillo pads, unravel a few, distribute some throughout the house…” quote by Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/merrill-markoe-11235_boxes_we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets_1758662.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/merrill-markoe-11235_boxes_we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets_1758662.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/merrill-markoe-11235_boxes_we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets_1758662.jpg)

> “We are pretty sure that we and our pets share the same reality, until one day we come home to find that our wistful, intelligent friend who reminds us of our better self has decided a good way to spend the day is to open a box of Brillo pads, unravel a few, distribute some throughout the house, and eat or wear all the rest. And we shake our heads in an inability to comprehend what went wrong here.”

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

## About This Quote

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

He humorously describes a cat’s destructive behavior with Brillo pads, highlighting the mystery of pet actions.

**In simple terms:** A cat messes up a house with cleaning pads, puzzling its owner.

Key Takeaway

Accept that pets act unpredictably.

Themes

humor animal behavior everyday life

Mood

lighthearted amusing

Type

humorous observational

When to use this quote

- home life
- pet ownership
- storytelling

Key Concepts

anthropomorphism instinct playfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we anthropomorphize pets?
- What does this tell us about animal intelligence?

A Different Perspective

Pets may act out of instinct, not malice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Brillo Pads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brillo-pads-1672981/) [Coming home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-home/) [Decided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decided/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Friend Reminds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend-reminds-1672982/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Good way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-way/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Inability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inability/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Intelligent Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-friend-1123916/) [One day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-day/) [Pads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pads/) [Pet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pet/) [Pets Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pets-share-1473550/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Shakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakes/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Sure Pets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sure-pets-1672983/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [The best critics do not worry about what the author might think. That would be like a detective worrying about what a suspect might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/the-best-critics-do-not-worry-about-what-the-author-might-think-that/)

[Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/)

> [“If you accept that pets can love us as much as we do them, then the logic is clear and cannot be denied. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-sife/if-you-accept-that-pets-can-love-us-as-much-as-we-do-them-then-the/)

[Wallace Sife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-sife/)

> [Old Flossie settle down on the other side of What-the-Dickens and dragged some handiwork out of a sack. She armed herself with two thorns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/old-flossie-settle-down-on-the-other-side-of-what-the-dickens-and/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [The library was a little old shaby place. Francie thought it was beautiful. The feeling she had about it was as good as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/the-library-was-a-little-old-shaby-place-francie-thought-it-was/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

> [I loved painting and drawing for many reasons. One of them was that all it really required was me, a pencil and a pad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-huston/i-loved-painting-and-drawing-for-many-reasons-one-of-them-was-that/)

[Danny Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-huston/)

> [People say be safe and I hate that, so I go to Skate Lab with no pads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-smith/people-say-be-safe-and-i-hate-that-so-i-go-to-skate-lab-with-no-pads/)

[Jaden Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-smith/)

> [I lost my voice. I'd never had to cancel a show before and I had to walk around with a pad and a pen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-lost-my-voice-i-d-never-had-to-cancel-a-show-before-and-i-had-to/)

[Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/)

> [I still wear minis and cardigans, but I think I'll steer away from shoulder pads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-hoffs/i-still-wear-minis-and-cardigans-but-i-think-i-ll-steer-away-from/)

[Susanna Hoffs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-hoffs/)

> [Most of us do not take these situations as teachings. We automatically hate them. We run like crazy. We use all kinds of ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/most-of-us-do-not-take-these-situations-as-teachings-we-automatically/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> ['Lost Boys' is one of my all-time faves. I just thought it would be great to be a vampire. I remember this movie called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-headey/lost-boys-is-one-of-my-all-time-faves-i-just-thought-it-would-be/)

[Lena Headey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-headey/)

> [I don't have to pad my resume. Normal people are astounded by my resume, because normal people never let their dreams get beyond their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-layfield/i-don-t-have-to-pad-my-resume-normal-people-are-astounded-by-my/)

[John Layfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-layfield/)

> [Football: War with cleats and pads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-gallagher/football-war-with-cleats-and-pads/)

[Mike Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-gallagher/)

> [For the last 15 years that I have been performing, all I ever wanted to do was transcend poetry to the world. See, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemon-andersen/for-the-last-15-years-that-i-have-been-performing-all-i-ever-wanted/)

[Lemon Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemon-andersen/)

> [It all changes when we get the pads on. That's when we see who's tough, who can take a hit, who can still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandin-cooks/it-all-changes-when-we-get-the-pads-on-that-s-when-we-see-who-s-tough/)

[Brandin Cooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandin-cooks/)

> [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/)

[Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/)

## More by Merrill Markoe

> [More than any other personality trait, my mother seemed to be ruled by anger and sadness. She seemed to hate being a mother. Watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/more-than-any-other-personality-trait-my-mother-seemed-to-be-ruled-by/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [The whole narcissism and echo syndrome is usually the result of early childhood training. Those are very hard habits for anyone to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/the-whole-narcissism-and-echo-syndrome-is-usually-the-result-of-early/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [Some people know that they are so adorable looking, all they have to do is smile and dress up and they get plenty from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/some-people-know-that-they-are-so-adorable-looking-all-they-have-to/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [A more complex - but only slightly more original - way to feel out of it is available at the hip and pretentious nightclubs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/a-more-complex-but-only-slightly-more-original-way-to-feel-out-of-it/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [I really enjoyed Merrill Markoe's Guide To Glamorous Living, which was a weird hybrid reality/sketch thing I wrote, directed, and hosted, with two male-model…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/i-really-enjoyed-merrill-markoe-s-guide-to-glamorous-living-which-was/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [It's surely no accident that there are horoscopes in Vogue, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Woman, New Woman, Elle and Cosmo ... but not Sports Illustrated, GQ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/it-s-surely-no-accident-that-there-are-horoscopes-in-vogue-glamour/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [Beware the old man in young guy's clothes. If he's over 35 and comes to pick you up looking as though he's headed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/beware-the-old-man-in-young-guy-s-clothes-if-he-s-over-35-and-comes/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [“Maybe this is kind of cliche, but animals, well, dogs, are what I do for a living. One reason I like spending time with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/maybe-this-is-kind-of-cliche-but-animals-well-dogs-are-what-i-do-for/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [Beware the man who doesn't ask you any questions about yourself on your first date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/beware-the-man-who-doesn-t-ask-you-any-questions-about-yourself-on/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [“I'm clear with all my bitches...I hump her till she bites me. Then it's adios bitches, time for BALL.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/i-m-clear-with-all-my-bitches-i-hump-her-till-she-bites-me-then-it-s/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [Every moment of your life that is not a complete nightmare is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/every-moment-of-your-life-that-is-not-a-complete-nightmare-is/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [When anyone lacks self-awareness and doesn't recognize their transparencies, it's always funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/when-anyone-lacks-self-awareness-and-doesn-t-recognize-their/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [They were soul mates, my mother and father. They claimed to adore each other, as if the word 'adore' meant 'argue with ceaselessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/they-were-soul-mates-my-mother-and-father-they-claimed-to-adore-each/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [A wacky, trendy outfit on a guy over 40 indicates he's got big issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/a-wacky-trendy-outfit-on-a-guy-over-40-indicates-he-s-got-big-issues/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [my mother ... took the fact that my taste differed from hers as a personal insult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/my-mother-took-the-fact-that-my-taste-differed-from-hers-as-a/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

[Explore all 61 Merrill Markoe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/)

[Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/)

[Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? 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": "We are pretty sure that we and our pets share the same reality, until one day we come home to find that our wistful, intelligent friend who reminds us of our better self has decided a good way to spend the day is to open a box of Brillo pads, unravel a few, distribute some throughout the house, and eat or wear all the rest. And we shake our heads in an inability to comprehend what went wrong here.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Merrill Markoe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets-share-the-same-reality-until/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets-share-the-same-reality-until/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/merrill-markoe-11235_boxes_we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets_1758662.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/merrill-markoe-11235_boxes_we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets_1758662.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/merrill-markoe-11235_boxes_we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets_1758662.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are pretty sure that we and our pets share the same reality, until one day we come home to find that our…” — Merrill Markoe",
                "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": "Merrill Markoe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are pretty sure that we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets-share-the-same-reality-until/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/we-are-pretty-sure-that-we-and-our-pets-share-the-same-reality-until/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
