What does the phrase "quitar los maullidos de la boca" mean in Historia de una Gaviota by Luis Sepúlveda

Question

Does "[quitar los maullidos de la boca]" mean interrupt the character which happens to be a cat, or say something before he got a chance to say it, as in the phrase "steal my thunder". Also is there a human equivalent of the phrase? It appears often in "Historia de un gaviota" by Luis Sepulveda:

Secretario, recuérdeme que debo organizar una batida contra esos devoradores de Masacar... Masgacar..., en fin, ya usted sabe a qué me refiero —maulló Colonello.

—Madagascar —precisó Secretario.

—Siga, siga quitándome los maullidos de la boca. Porca miseria! — exclamó Colonello. —Te echaremos

Answer 1

Yes, indeed:

quitarle alguien a otra persona la palabra, o las palabras, de la boca

1. locs. verbs. Decir lo mismo que estaba a punto de expresar su interlocutor.

That is the original expression, that means that someone has said exactly the same that other person was going to say. That is the case with the cat, who cannot say "Madagascar" properly, and when Secretario corrects him, Colonello says that he was going to say precisely that (well, in a sarcastic way).