The 'Schrödinger's Cat' Paradox, that the cat is simultaneously either both dead and alive, or neither dead nor alive, until observed, is created by two misunderstandings.
First, it confuses potential with instance. The cat is potentially dead or alive until observed.
Second, it makes the false epistemological assumption that meaning exists independently of meaners and their semiotic systems. It is the observation by a meaner that transforms the meaningless domain into the alternative meanings: 'the cat is dead' or 'the cat is alive'.