Whenever Frank is in serious trouble, cats appear in the text as symbols of fate and luck. During his first conversation with Cora about killing Nick, Frank tells Cora that she is a “hell cat” (13). Their first murder attempt is both ruined and saved when a cat steps on the fuse box at the diner and knocks out the power. Frank observes, “A cat was the last thing I wanted to see then” (16). Here, a cat both helps and impedes Frank, symbolizing the fickle nature of luck.

Cats are also featured heavily in the text when Frank almost runs away with Madge Allen to escape Cora. At first, the prospect of hunting cats in Nicaragua with Madge is tempting to Frank; he sees it as a way to escape from his fear of being betrayed by Cora. Cats end up causing Frank further trouble, however, when Madge brings him a kitten and bumps into Cora, revealing to Cora that Frank nearly left her. After Madge leaves, Cora tells Frank, “And the cat came back! It stepped on the fuse box and got killed, but here it is back! […] Ain’t that funny, how unlucky cats are for you?” (96). In this instance, a cat again symbolizes the inconstancy of luck, but it also represents the inescapability of fate.