Week 15 Story: The Cat and Her Husband

Like my story from last week, this story comes from Italy. I decided to retell this story because I saw in Jacob's reading notes for this unit that he thought the story was totally weird, so much so that he wrote about it in his notes as a type of story he would never want to write. He was looking for a message or moral of the story, but it just didn't make sense the way he expected a story to make sense. And that's true: this type of chain tale is all about the form, the formula, the chain that leads from one suitor to another, and then the cumulative chain of mourners in the second part of the story. It's like a dance or like a kaleidoscope; the story is not conveying a message or a moral, but is instead just pure entertainment. And I really do find these types of stories entertaining!

Plus, I know I am not alone because you can find stories like these all over the world. The folklore classification for this story is ATU 2023. Little Ant Marries, plus a related type, ATU 2022 The Death of the Little Hen, which has mourners but does not have the courtship at the beginning. Earlier in the semester, I used the chain-of-mourners formula to do my version of Cupid and Psyche: Psyche Lives! You can find more information about this folktale type in the notes to that story.

And now... here is the sad story of the cat and her husband. I have kept the characters and sequence of events the same as in the original, but with little changes here and there to focus on the formulaic style of the story. That means my story is longer than the original, but I think it is actually easier to read. Enjoy!

THE CAT AND HER HUSBAND

The cat wanted to get married, but she didn't have a husband. So she started to cry.

The dog walked by and said, "What's wrong, Cat? Why are you crying?"

"I want to marry," she said, "but I can't find a husband."

"I can be your husband!" said the dog.

The cat replied, "Sing me your song."

So the dog went, "Bow-wow! Bow-wow!"

"Ugh," said the cat. "I do not like that song; you cannot be my husband."


Next came the pig, who said, "What's wrong, Cat? Why are you crying?"

"I want to marry," she said, "but I can't find a husband."

"I can be your husband!" said the pig.

The cat replied, "Sing me your song."

So the pig went, "Oink! Oink!"

"Ugh," said the cat. "I do not like that song; you cannot be my husband."


Next came the calf, who said, "What's wrong, Cat? Why are you crying?"

"I want to marry," she said, "but I can't find a husband."

"I can be your husband!" said the calf.

The cat replied, "Sing me your song."

So the calf went, "Moo! Moo!"

"Ugh," said the cat. "I do not like that song; you cannot be my husband."


Next came the mouse, who said, "What's wrong, Cat? Why are you crying?"

"I want to marry," she said, "but I can't find a husband."

"I can be your husband!" said the mouse.

The cat replied, "Sing me your song."

So the mouse went, "Squeeeeeeak! Squeeeeeeak!"

"Oh," said the cat, "I like your song. Let's get married!"

So, they were married.


One day the cat went out shopping. "Don't touch the beans on the stove!" she said to the mouse. "I am cooking them for our dinner."

But the mouse didn't listen. He ran to the kitchen, scurried up the stove,  climbed into the pot, and began to nibble the beans. So the mouse got boiled with the beans.

When the cat came home, she called to the mouse, but he did not answer. She went to the kitchen and ladled out the beans; still no answer. She put the bowls on the table; still no answer. Then, when she went to eat the beans, she found her husband in the bowl.

"Oh!" cried the cat, and she began to tear our her fur.

"What wrong, Cat?" said the door. "Why are your tearing out your fur?"

The cat explained, "My mouse is dead, so I am tearing out my fur."

Then the door said, "So I will slam."


There was a window in the door, and it said, "What's wrong, Door? Why are you slamming?"

The door explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, and I am slamming."

Then the window said, "So I will open and shut."


Outside the window was a tree, and it said, "What's wrong, Window? Why are you opening and shutting?"

The window explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, the door is slamming, and I am opening and shutting."

Then the tree said, "So I will fall down."


In the tree was a dove, and it said, "What's wrong, Tree? Why are you falling down?"

The tree explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, the door is slamming, the window is opening and shutting, and I am falling down."

Then the dove said, "So I will pull out my feathers."


The dove then flew to the fountain, and it said, "What's wrong, Dove? Why are you pulling out your feathers?"

The dove explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, the door is slamming, the window is opening and shutting, the tree is falling down, and I am pulling out my feathers."

Then the fountain said, "So I will dry up."


The cuckoo was sitting by the fountain, and it said, "What's wrong, Fountain? Why are you drying up?"

The fountain explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, the door is slamming, the window is opening and shutting, the tree is falling down, the dove is pulling out its feathers, and I am drying up."

Then the cuckoo said, "So I will put my tail in the fire."


A monk was passing by and he said, "What's wrong, Cuckoo? Why do you have your tail in the fire?"

The cuckoo explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, the door is slamming, the window is opening and shutting, the tree is falling down, the dove is pulling out its feathers, the fountain is drying up, and I am putting my tail in the fire."

Then the monk said, "So I will say mass without my robes."


The queen went to mass and she said, "What's wrong, Monk? Why are you saying mass without your robes?"

The monk explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, the door is slamming, the window is opening and shutting, the tree is falling down, the dove is pulling out its feathers, the fountain is drying up, the cuckoo is putting its tail in the fire, and I am saying mass without my robes."

Then the queen said, "So I will go and work in the kitchen."


The king came into the kitchen and he said, "What's wrong, Queen? Why are you working in the kitchen?"

The queen explained, "The cat's mouse is dead, so she is tearing out her fur, the door is slamming, the window is opening and shutting, the tree is falling down, the dove is pulling out its feathers, the fountain is drying up, the cuckoo is putting its tail in the fire, the monk is saying mass without his robes, and I am working here in the kitchen."

The king said, "Well, I am the king, so I am going to drink my coffee."

And that is the end of the story.

Bibliography.

"The Cat and the Mouse" in Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane (1885). Crane's source is Sicilian: Pitrè, No. 134, La Gatta e lu Surci.

Image sources.

Sadness: Sad Cat.
Cafe Macchiato.