Meaning
When the cat's belly is full, it suddenly finds the rat bitter and not worth catching. Once a person is satisfied and no longer in need, they turn up their nose at the very thing they would have gladly taken when they were hungry — plenty makes people disdainful.
Examples
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Now him have money him nuh want di likkle work; when puss belly full, rat batty bitter.
Now he has money he doesn't want the small job; plenty makes people disdainful.
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She used to beg fi it, now she turn it down — when puss belly full, rat batty bitter.
She used to beg for it, now she turns it down — once satisfied, people scorn what they craved.
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Full belly nuh remember hungry days; when puss belly full, rat batty bitter.
A full belly forgets hungry days; abundance breeds disdain.
Origin
A cat-and-rat image: a hungry cat eagerly hunts the rat, but a well-fed one disdains it as distasteful — a figure for how satisfaction turns eagerness into scorn.
How it’s used
Said of someone who scorns, once satisfied, what they eagerly wanted while in need.