English · Proverb Candidate

all cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

People often desire benefits without taking risks or making efforts.

Literally: cats liking fish but avoiding water

Examples

He wants to start his own business, but all cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet.

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Topics: Cats Fish

Common questions

What does “all cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet” mean?

People often desire benefits without taking risks or making efforts. Literally: cats liking fish but avoiding water

Is “all cats love fish but hate to get their paws wet” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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