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Grimm's Fairy Tale:
Cat and Mouse in Partnership

Summary: 

A cat befriends a mouse and is so persuasive about her fondness for the smaller animal that the mouse agrees they should set up house together. The cat warns that they must plan for winter, or they'll go hungry. "And you, little mouse, cannot venture anywhere, or you will be caught in a trap someday," adds the cat.

They buy a pot of fat but can't decide where to store it. Finally the cat suggests hiding the pot under the altar at the church, where no one will dare steal it. All goes well until one day the cat feels hungry. She tells the mouse, "My cousin has brought a little son into the world and has asked me to be godmother." They agree that the mouse will stay at home.

The cat, who has no cousins, goes straight to the hiding place and pulls out the pot of fat. She licks off the top layer and spends the rest of the day relaxing in the sun. At home, the mouse asks what the newborn kitten was christened. "Top Off," says the cat.

Soon the cat feels hungry again. "I am again asked to be a godmother," she tells the mouse, and repeats the same action as before. This time, though, the cat eats half the fat in the pot. Back at home, she says the new kitten's name is "Half-done." The mouse is surprised at these odd names but doesn't suspect anything.

Yet again the cat gets hungry, and yet again the mouse agrees to keep house while the cat "goes to the christening" of her new godchild. This time, the cat finishes off the fat and tells the mouse that her new godchild is named "All-gone."

Winter comes, and the companions run out of food. The mouse remembers the pot of fat and suggests that the two of them enjoy it together. Of course the pot is empty when they take it out at the church—and now the mouse understands what the cat meant when she spoke those odd names. As she berates the cat, the larger animal springs forward and devours her.

My Poem: Cat and Mouse

A cat, too hungry to wait
A mouse, a little like bait,
They lived their quiet lives,
While a sweet dream survives,
Vamoosing the starving mouse,
Who was left inside the house,
Waiting for the cat to come back,
After its duplicitous snack,
Making light of their friendly deal,
They promised to await their meal,
But, the cat grew steadily greedy,
Even though the mouse was needy,
In time, the mouse would find,
The cat was very unkind,
And, it would lose its life,
Starving and full of strife,
Because it let the cat know it was wrong,
It ended life with a folksong,

“never trust a hungry cat with your life…
It’ll cut you up with a butter knife,
Even though it should be your friend…
For a mouse, this friendship will bring…

the end”
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