Why the Cat Killed the Rat
adapted from the Nigerian Folktale "Why the Cat Kills Rats"
by Rebecca Lance
Ansa was Pince of Calabar for thirty years. He had a cat named Simon who was a trustworthy housekeeper and a rat who was his house boy. The Prince was a stubborn man, but was very fond of the cat, who had worked in his store for many years.
The rat fell in love with one of Ansa’s servant girls, but was unable to give her any gifts because he was poor and had no money.
That night he snuck into the Prince’s store and stole corn and native pears to present to the lovely lady.
At the end of the month, when the cat had to tell the prince everything that happened in the store it was found that a lot of corn and native pears were missing. The Prince was very mad and asked the cat for an explanation.
The Prince handed over the rat to the cat to deal with, and dismissed them both from his service. The cat was so angry at this that she killed and ate the rat, and ever since that time whenever a cat sees a rat she kills and eats it.