Don’t send away your cat for being a thief.
Don’t send away your cat for being a thief.
Meaning in plain English
A fault does not automatically settle whether a useful relationship should end. The cat’s theft invites a proportionate judgement, while leaving serious harm and continuing boundaries firmly open to consideration.
Example
A group addresses a member’s first minor procedural mistake with clear guidance instead of immediately ending an otherwise constructive involvement.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying resists sending the cat away solely on the named fault. In a human comparison, a shortcoming should be considered alongside the whole relationship and the possibilities for correction. That does not make every fault small or require someone to tolerate repeated harm. Ask what actually happened, whether it can be addressed and what responsibilities remain. The animal image is not a complete rule for deciding human relationships. Its value is in questioning an automatic dismissal, while preserving the judgement needed for serious cases.
When to use it
Use it to ask whether a response to a particular fault is proportionate.
Keep in mind
Do not use it to excuse abuse, dishonesty or unsafe behaviour; some conduct justifies ending a relationship.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 196; Spanish section, paragraph 4090; source wording: Al gato por ser ladron, no le eches de tu mansion.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗