Characters
A cat's a better mother than you.
— Rhett Butler • Gone with the Wind
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker delivers a cutting insult, claiming that even a cat would look after a child better than the person addressed. It ranks that person below an animal as a parent, making the accusation of poor mothering deliberately harsh and contemptuous rather than gentle or teasing.
Context reviewed