Reading Notes Week 9: Why Cat and Dog Are Enemies

(Dog and Cat from BBC)

There was a man & wife with a lucky ring of gold.  They didn't know the ring was magic.  But whomever had the ring, would never go hungry.  One day the couple decided they needed the money, so they sold the ring.  After that, they got poorer & hungrier.  The couple had a dog & cat.  When the couple started going hungry, of course the dog & cat had to go hungry as well.  The dog came up with a plan to get the ring back.  The dog told the cat to catch a mouse & that mouse must chew a hole in the chest where the ring was, steal the ring, and bring it back to them.  If the mouse wouldn't do it, the cat was to threaten the mouse.  They had to cross a river, and the cat & mouse couldn't swim, but they rode on the back of the dog as he swam across the river.  The mouse went in stole the ring, came back to the cat, they swam back across the river on the back of the dog.  The dog had to take the long way around because he couldn't climb like the cat.  The cat released the mouse & went straight into the house to return the ring to their masters, without waiting for the dog so the dog could have credit for returning the ring as well.  The couple praised & fed the cat, but beat the dog because they thought the dog didn't help return the ring.  The cat never told that the dog actually helped.  After this dogs have always hated cats.

Bibliography:  Why Cats and Dogs are Enemies from the Chinese Fairy Book.  Weblink.