Meaning & Analysis
A cat that does not desire or attempt to drink sweet milk or cream is behaving unnaturally, or contrary to its fundamental feline instincts.
Insights
Inherent Nature and Instinct
The proverb asserts that it is unnatural for any being to act against its core instincts or nature. It suggests that certain behaviors are so fundamental that their absence is a sign of abnormality or peculiarity.
Natural Response to Temptation
It serves as a commentary on temptation, implying that it is natural and expected for someone to pursue something universally desirable. To resist a simple, alluring opportunity is to be 'out of kind'.
Authenticity vs. Deception
The proverb can be interpreted as a test of authenticity. A person who pretends not to want what is obviously advantageous or pleasurable may be seen as deceptive or having ulterior motives.
A Test of Character
It suggests that you can judge a person's character by observing their response to basic opportunities. Acting against self-interest or common desires reveals an unusual or suspect disposition.
Historical and Literary Symbolism
The proverb draws on the cat's historical and folkloric reputation for opportunism and stealth. Shakespeare’s line, 'as vigilant as a cat to steal cream', perfectly captures this embedded cultural image, where the cat represents an innate, unsuppressible drive to seize a desirable opportunity.
Psychological Insight on Instinct
This proverb functions as a timeless observation on instinct and temptation. It suggests that it is fundamentally unnatural to resist inherent desires. Anyone who acts contrary to their expected nature—like a person refusing a clear and easy benefit—is viewed as abnormal or 'out of kind'.
Folk Determinism
The saying reinforces a deterministic view of character, common in pre-modern thought, where one's nature ('kind') dictates behavior. It implies that true character is revealed when faced with a simple, natural temptation, and that feigning disinterest is itself a suspicious act.
Rhetorical Devices
Symbolism
The 'cat' symbolizes an opportunistic creature driven by instinct, while 'sweet milk' represents any universally alluring temptation or reward.
Idiomatic Phrasing
The archaic phrase 'out of kind' powerfully conveys the idea of being unnatural or acting contrary to one's intrinsic nature, lending the proverb a sense of ancient folk wisdom.
Metaphor
The entire statement uses the observable behavior of an animal to make a broader point about the predictability and fundamental drives of human nature.
Transcription
Quotations
I shall kepe ye as well from that, As my grandame kept her cat, From lyckynge of her creame.
Cat after kinde (saith the prouerbe) swete milke wil lap, If the mother be a shrew, the daughter can not scape.
The catte will eate no sweete milke, for feare of marring her teeth: so you would not be in looue, no though you might.
The Cat that once hath tasted of the creame, will not be quiet, till she hath gotten more.
As greedy on't, as a Cat is of a dish of milk.
Shakespeare Citations
I am as vigilant as a cat to steal cream.
For all the rest, They’ll take suggestion as a cat laps milk.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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