In that era of material shortages, says a fiftyish woman from Hualien, compared to chickens, ducks, or pigs, which could provide food, or dogs, who provided security, the cat was, for most homes, definitely non-essential.
在那個物資不充裕的年代，一位花蓮在地五十幾歲的母親說，貓在家中的地位，比起能提供溫飽的雞、鴨、豬，能看門示警的狗，實在可有可無。