The Chinese Zodiac: Cats Not Included
Legendary: Game of Heroes is celebrating the Lunar New Year (which, most people in the US know as the Chinese New Year) this week with an event called “Hound of Fortune.” It centers around four heroes who must stop Nydorn the Black’s mischief and misfortune from spreading across the land of Korelis.
This particular Chinese New Year, 2018, marks the beginning of the Year of the Dog. As you may know, 12 animals make up the Chinese Zodiac: Dog, Rooster, Dragon, Pig (or Boar), Rat, Ox (or Cow), Rabbit, Tiger, Snake, Horse, Goat, and Monkey. However, some people often assume that there’s a Cat, as well. Actually, there is in the Vietnamese Zodiac but not in the Chinese. There are a couple myths in Chinese lore that tell the story of why the Cat wasn’t included. They all involve some form of trickery on the Rat’s part.
The first myth says that the Cat was the emissary of the Jade Emperor and was sent to inform the other 11 animals that they were to become guardians. The Rat overhears the Cat telling the Ox about this and decides to run to the Emperor before the Cat can get back. The Rat joins the other 11 animals and becomes one of the guardians and the Cat’s place is stolen out from under him.
Another common myth is that there was a great race in name of the Jade Emperor. The first 12 animals to reach him would become guardians. In one version, the Cat and Rat work together for most of the race but since neither are good swimmers, they hitch a ride on the back of the Ox. While they are crossing the water, the Rat pushes the Cat off the Ox and takes first place with the Ox taking second. There is another iteration of this myth where the Cat asks the Rat to wake him up in time for the race and the Rat promises that he will; spoiler alert, he doesn’t.
The final myth is that the Jade Emperor held a banquet and sent invitations to several of the animals. The Rat makes sure to trick the Cat into missing the banquet and thus, he did not become a guardian and did not get a year.
All three of these myths are also meant to explain the ever persistent feud between cat and mice. It’s definitely not just biology or science or anything. In fact, the most plausible explanations to the lack of the Cat are actually quite simple. The first being that cats had not made their way to China from India just yet. The second one is that the Vietnamese misunderstood the Chinese word for Rabbit because the words for cat and rabbit are very similar in the two languages.
While the facts may point to geography as the reason why the Cat wasn’t included, these stories serve as wonderful reminder how myths can help people understand important events and traditions. Don’t feel too bad for the Cat though, they went on to become some of the most popular animals in the world, and more importantly, the internet. They may not have their own place in the Chinese Zodiac, but they do have a day of the week: Caturday.
