Extra Credit Reading Notes: Chinese Folktales

Why Dog and Cat are Enemies

There once was a couple that owned a ring that brought luck to its owners by making sure they always had enough fortune to live on, however, the couple did not know this. Unknowing of its properties, they sold the ring and quickly became poor to the point of hunger. They had a dog and a cat that also grew hungry, so they met to try and help their owners in any way. The dog figured out that they needed to get the ring back, but this was already locked in a wooden chest, so he told the cat to catch a mouse and make it gnaw a hole in the chest to reach for the ring. The cat did as told, and when she had the mouse together they went to find the ring, only to find a broad river in the way. Since the cat could not swim, the dog carried her on his back and waited for her to return. The mouse so gnawed the box, and as soon as he had given her the ring, she began her journey back to the river where the dog once again helped her across. On their way back, the dog had to always border the houses, whilst the cat avidly climbed up the roofs, thus arriving faster at their masters' house. She was praised for being so smart and caring, whilst the dog was reprimanded for not having helped. Since then, the dog always chases the cat, angry for her deceit and treason, becoming enemies for life. 

Cat and Dog in Pixabay

Story source: The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

Note: This fairy tale reminded me of the story that explains why the cat is not in the Chinese zodiac. There are several versions, but they all somehow include the rat tricking the cat. In one version, they convince the ox to carry them across a river on its back, but the rat pushes the cat into the water so that it would miss the banquet with the emperor.