This International Cat Day, we are delving deep into the story behind why a cat is not part of the Chinese Zodiac. Luckily, author Tutu Dutta tells us why in her new book The Fraught Lives of Nathan Kwan and Lapsang Souchong.
Read the excerpt below to find out.
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Mr Kwan looked up from his handphone and interrupted their discussion again. He said, ‘Did you know that of all the domesticated animals, the cat is not included in the Chinese Zodiac? All the other common animals, even the rat, the tiger, and the snake are in!’
‘Not forgetting the mythical dragon,’ added Jin.
‘Yes, I always wondered about that,’ said Nathan thoughtfully. ‘Maybe, they didn’t like cats in China,’ he added.
Mr Kwan explained to him, ‘One of the stories of the Chinese Zodiac is that Rat tricked Cat—’
Junie interrupted her father, ‘Yes, we know, Dad!’ She recited from memory, ‘Once upon a time, the Jade Emperor invited all the animals in the world to a race. He wanted to name the years after the first twelve animals to win the race.’
‘All the animals listened very carefully to what the Jade Emperor was saying, except for Cat, who decided to take a nap while the Emperor was talking.
‘Rat told Cat that the race would only start in the afternoon. So, Cat slept while Rat slipped out at dawn. All the animals were racing furiously. Clever Rat knew that he could not win the race, so he jumped on the back of Ox. Close to the end of the race, Rat jumped off Ox and crossed the finishing line first!’
‘So, the first year of the Chinese Zodiac is the Year of the Rat!’ Jin capped the story.
His father added, ‘It seems you all can remember everything I ever said! Anyway, in the other version of the story, Rat also tricked Cat and told him that the banquet by the Buddha was the day after tomorrow so Cat missed the banquet.’
Jin stroked his chin and said, ‘Rat used strategy to win the Zodiac Race. But you can’t always use strategy to win a race in real life. You really got to practise your ass off.’
Did you know this fascinating story? If you liked what you read, get a copy of The Fraught Lives of Nathan Kwan and Lapsang Souchong online or at bookstores near you.
