International Cat Day - A Fable on Cunning Cats

International Cat Day

I have a confession to make: despite being heavily exposed to the internet, I am not a cat lover. Please, don't start to wreak an havoc. It's not like I harnass a profound distaste for cats, but I would simply choose a dog over a cat any day of the week. In fairness dogs are just better companions than cats, but enough of this blasphemy. Today is the International Cat Day (and you know it is important since it has its own twitter hashtag). So in honour of this special holiday, I present to you fable from antiquity that heavily portrays the nature of cats. And frankly, I believe that a cat would act accordingly if it had the opportunity: not that they are deceitful, but they are always following their own best interests. 

The Eagle, the Cat and the Sow

An eagle made herself a nest in a high oak tree;
A cat stumbled upon a hollow space
in the middle of it and had her kittens there;
A sow, protectress of the forest,
dropped her piglets at its roots.
Then, the cat brings the communal dwelling,
that is founded by change, into ruin
in the following way: with deceit and wicked cunning.
She climbs to the bird’s nest and says:
“A certain death awaits you, and perhaps me
wretched as well. For what you see day by day,
is the matter of that dangerous sow
digging up the earth, she wants to tack down this oak,
so our children are on the ground
and vulnerable for an easy attack.”
After fear has overcome the eagle
and brought its wits into confusion,
the cat crawls down to the chamber of bristly sow.
“Your children are in grave danger,”
she says; "for as soon as you are going out
to the pasture with your group of youngs,
the eagle stands ready to grab some piglets from you.”
When she had filled this place with fear as well,
the crafty cat hided away safely in her den.
From there she wanders around on tiptoe at night
and when she has filled up the bellies
of herself and her kittens,
she pretends to be fearful and is on guard the whole day.
Fearful of catastrophes, the eagle settles down on branches.
Trying to avoid this rapture, the sow doesn’t get out of the door.
What is there more to say?
The two of them were killed by starvation
along with their young ones
and the cat has secured for her kittens
an enormous supply of food.
What an great evil a double-tongued man often contrives,
that is the lesson foolish credulity can find in this story

Aquila, feles, et aper.

Aquila in sublimi quercu nidum fecerat;
Feles cavernam nancta in media pepererat;
Sus nemoris cultrix fetum ad imam posuerat.
Tum fortuitum feles contubernium
Fraude et scelesta sic evertit malitia.
Ad nidum scandit volucris:
“Pernicies,” ait “Tibi paratur, forsan et miserae mihi;
Nam fodere terram quod vides cotidie
Aprum insidiosum, quercum vult evertere,
Ut nostram in plano facile progeniem opprimat.”
Terrore offuso et perturbatis sensibus
Derepit ad cubile saetosae suis:
“Magno,” inquit,“in periclo sunt nati tui;
Nam, simul exieris pastum cum tenero grege,
Aquila est parata rapere porcellos tibi.
Hunc quoque timore postquam complevit locum,
Dolosa tuto condidit sese cavo.
Inde evagata noctu suspenso pede,
Ubi esca se replevit et prolem suam,
Pavorem simulans prospicit toto die.
Ruinam metuens aquila ramis desidet;
Aper rapinam vitans non prodit foras.
Quid multa? Inedia sunt consumpti cum suis
Felisque catulis largam praebuerunt dapem.
Quantum homo bilinguis saepe concinnet mali,
Documentum habere stulta credulitas potest.

- Phaedrus, book 2, poem  2