The

Cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

is the 4th animal symbol in the 12-year cycle of the

Vietnamese zodiac The Vietnamese zodiac (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Mười hai con giáp'') is the traditional Vietnamese classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating 12-ye ...

and

Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung: ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Gorkha, ...

zodiac, taking place of the

Rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

in the

Chinese zodiac The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain ...

. As such, the traits associated with the

are attributed to the Cat. Cats are in conflict with the Rat. Legends relating to the order of the

often include stories as to why the cat was not included among the twelve. Because the Rat tricked the cat into missing the banquet with the

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

, the cat was not included and was not aware that the banquet was going on and was not given a year, thus began the antipathy between cats and

rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

. It is possible domesticated cats had not proliferated through China at the zodiac's induction. Another legend known as "The Great Race" tells that all the animals in the zodiac were headed to the Jade Emperor. The Cat and Rat were the most intelligent of the animals, however they were both also poor swimmers and came across a river. They both tricked the kind, naive Ox to assist them by letting them ride on its back over the river. As the Ox was approaching the other side of the river, the Rat pushed the Cat into the river, then jumped off the Ox and rushed to the Jade Emperor, becoming the first in the zodiac. All the other animals made it to the Jade Emperor, while the Cat was left to drown in the river after being sabotaged by the Rat. It is said that this is also the reason cats always hunt Rats. There have been various explanations of why the Vietnamese, unlike all other countries who follow the Sino lunar calendar, have the cat instead of the

as a zodiac animal. The most common explanation is that the ancient word for "rabbit" (''mao'') sounds like "cat" (''meo'').

Years and the Five Elements

People born within the date ranges below can be said to have been born under the "Year of the Cat", instead of "Year of the Rabbit". Louvre egyptologie 21

Felis silvestris catus lying on rice straw

Vietnamese zodiac Cat

Basic astrology elements

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cat Vietnamese astrological signs Mythological felines Cats in popular culture Chinese astrological signs Cat folklore

Years and the Five Elements

Vietnamese zodiac Cat

Basic astrology elements

See also

References