--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never pick up a stray kitten . . . unless…" description: "\"Never pick up a stray kitten . . . unless you've already made up your mind to be owned by it.\" — Robert A. Heinlein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/robert-a-heinlein-209_kitten_never-pick-up-a-stray-kitten-unless-you_1272912.jpg" --- # Never pick up a stray kitten . . . unless you've already… ![“Never pick up a stray kitten . . . unless you've already made up your mind to be owned by it.” quote by Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/robert-a-heinlein-209_kitten_never-pick-up-a-stray-kitten-unless-you_1272912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/robert-a-heinlein-209_kitten_never-pick-up-a-stray-kitten-unless-you_1272912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/robert-a-heinlein-209_kitten_never-pick-up-a-stray-kitten-unless-you_1272912.jpg) > “Never pick up a stray kitten . . . unless you've already made up your mind to be owned by it.” [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adopting a pet creates a mutual bond of responsibility and dependence. **In simple terms:** Pets make you responsible. Key Takeaway Consider the commitment before taking a pet. Themes responsibility companionship choice Mood thoughtful cautious Type advice reflective When to use this quote - adopting pets - family planning - long‑term care - emotional support Key Concepts ethics human-animal bond Questions to Reflect On - Are you ready for lifelong commitment? - How will a pet affect your daily routine? A Different Perspective Pets require ongoing care and can limit freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Kitten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitten/) [Kitten Unless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitten-unless-4086135/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Pick Stray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pick-stray-3796428/) [Picks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picks/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Stray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stray/) [Stray Kitten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stray-kitten-2945070/) ## Related quotes > [“Nevertheless, once you pick up a stray cat and feed it, you cannot abandon it. Self-love forbids it. The cat’s welfare becomes essential to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nevertheless-once-you-pick-up-a-stray-cat-and-feed-it-you-cannot/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I've always loved animals. I've never lived without them. As long as I can remember, I was bringing home strays. When I was five,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/i-ve-always-loved-animals-i-ve-never-lived-without-them-as-long-as-i/) [Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/) > [“You know, Professor, this stray kitten and you have one very important thing in common.' 'I can't imagine,' responded the professor coolly. 'Your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-michie/you-know-professor-this-stray-kitten-and-you-have-one-very-important/) [David Michie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-michie/) > [Minimize your therbligs until it becomes automatic; this doubles your effective lifetime - and thereby gives time to enjoy butterflies and kittens and rainbows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/minimize-your-therbligs-until-it-becomes-automatic-this-doubles-your/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I've never understood how God could expect His creatures to pick the one true religion by faith-it strikes me as a sloppy way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-ve-never-understood-how-god-could-expect-his-creatures-to-pick-the/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Men are expendable; women and children are not. A tribe or a nation can lose a high percentage of its men and still pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/men-are-expendable-women-and-children-are-not-a-tribe-or-a-nation-can/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“You were the stray cat who wandered into my verses and finally found your way home—dumpster diving deep within yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/you-were-the-stray-cat-who-wandered-into-my-verses-and-finally-found/) [Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/) > [“Indeed, it has been suggested that there isn’t a single bit of any of us – not so much as a stray molecule8 –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/indeed-it-has-been-suggested-that-there-isn-t-a-single-bit-of-any-of/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Nana acts like a stray cat, wild, free, and proud… ...But inside her heart, she houses a wound. Dense as I am, i thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-yazawa/nana-acts-like-a-stray-cat-wild-free-and-proud-but-inside-her-heart/) [Ai Yazawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-yazawa/) > [You're just a puppy on a leash, time to come back home, I let you out to play, but ain't playin' fair, you done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letoya-luckett/you-re-just-a-puppy-on-a-leash-time-to-come-back-home-i-let-you-out/) [Letoya Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letoya-luckett/) > [Philosophy is the stray camel of the faithful; take hold of it wherever ye come across it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/philosophy-is-the-stray-camel-of-the-faithful-take-hold-of-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep your paws off my fiancèe, you flea-ridden stray!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/keep-your-paws-off-my-fianc-e-you-flea-ridden-stray/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > [“Stray cats are like two-timing men. He got tired of you and took off. He doesn't find anyone new? He'll come slinking back. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/stray-cats-are-like-two-timing-men-he-got-tired-of-you-and-took-off/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Politicians have always been required to be fake, but now the career havoc wrought by a stray, flying sound bite means they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/politicians-have-always-been-required-to-be-fake-but-now-the-career/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [“View a Copycat as a Stray Cat.. They stray through the day hunting down prey. They pick up a scent through steel or cement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-addino/view-a-copycat-as-a-stray-cat-they-stray-through-the-day-hunting-down/) [Victoria Addino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-addino/) ## More by Robert A. Heinlein > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ninety-percent-of-all-human-wisdom-is-the-ability-to-mind-your-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/no-statement-should-be-believed-because-it-is-made-by-an-authority/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“The instinct to survive is human nature itself, and every aspect of our personalities derives from it. Anything that conflicts with the survival instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-instinct-to-survive-is-human-nature-itself-and-every-aspect-of/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“I tried to dig out of the computer a call directory for Luna. But it was still sulking. I could not get it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-tried-to-dig-out-of-the-computer-a-call-directory-for-luna-but-it/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“this has more aspects than a cat has hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/this-has-more-aspects-than-a-cat-has-hair/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Never own more than you can carry in both hands at a dead run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/never-own-more-than-you-can-carry-in-both-hands-at-a-dead-run/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“In Wilson's scale of evaluations breakfast rated just after life itself and ahead of the chance of immortality." ~ By His Bootstraps / Robert A. Heinlein”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/in-wilson-s-scale-of-evaluations-breakfast-rated-just-after-life/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ignorance-is-curable-stupid-is-forever/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Explore all 888 Robert A. Heinlein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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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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": "Never pick up a stray kitten . . . unless you've already made up your mind to be owned by it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. 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