The Greedy Cat

Once upon a time, there was a man who had a cat. She was so terribly big and such a glutton that he couldn't keep her any longer. So she was to be taken down to the river with a stone around her neck, but before she set off, she was to have a good meal. The goodwife set before her a bowl of porridge and a little trough of fat. The cat gobbled it all up, then ran off and jumped through the window. Outside, the goodman was standing by the barn door, threshing.

"Good day, goodman," said the cat.

"Good day, pussy," said the goodman. "Have you had any food today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge and a trough of fat—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" And with that, she took the goodman and gobbled him up.

When she had done that, she went into the cowshed, where the goodwife was milking.

"Good day, goodwife," said the cat.

"Good day, pussy," said the goodwife. "Are you here? Have you eaten up your food already?"

"Oh, I've eaten a little today, but I'm almost starving," said pussy. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, and the goodman—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" And she took the goodwife and gobbled her up.

"Good day, you cow at the manger," said the cat to Daisy the cow.

"Good day, pussy," said the bell-cow. "Have you had any food today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "I've only had a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, and the goodwife—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took the cow and gobbled her up.

Then she set off into the home-field, where a man was picking up leaves.

"Good day, you leaf-picker in the field," said the cat.

"Good day, pussy," said the leaf-picker. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, and Daisy the cow—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took the leaf-picker and gobbled him up.

Then she came to a heap of stones, where a stoat was peeping out.

"Good day, Mr. Stoat of Stoneheap," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the stoat. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, and the leaf-picker—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took the stoat and gobbled him up.

A bit farther on, she came to a hazel-brake, where a squirrel was gathering nuts.

"Good day, Sir Squirrel of the Brake," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the squirrel. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, and the stoat—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took the squirrel and gobbled him up.

A little later, she saw Reynard the Fox prowling by the woodside.

"Good day, Reynard Slyboots," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the fox. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, and the squirrel—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took Reynard and gobbled him up.

When she had gone a while farther, she met Long Ears the Hare.

"Good day, Mr. Hopper the Hare," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the hare. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, and the fox—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took the hare and gobbled him up.

A bit farther on, she met a wolf.

"Good day, you Greedy Greylegs," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the wolf. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, and the hare—and now I think of it, I might as well take you too!" So she took Greylegs and gobbled him up.

So she went on into the woods, and when she had gone far and farther than far, over hill and dale, she met a bear-cub.

"Good day, you bare-breeched Bear," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the bear-cub. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, the hare, and the wolf—and now I think of it, I might as well take you too!" And she took the bear-cub and gobbled him up.

When she had gone a bit farther, she met a she-bear, who was tearing at a stump in fury, for she had lost her cub.

"Good day, Mrs. Bruin," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the she-bear. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, the hare, the wolf, and the bear-cub—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took Mrs. Bruin and gobbled her up.

When the cat got still farther on, she met Baron Bruin himself.

"Good day, Baron Bruin," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said Bruin. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, the hare, the wolf, the bear-cub, and the she-bear—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" So she took Bruin and ate him up.

So the cat went on and on, farther than far, until she came to human habitations again. There she met a bridal train on the road.

"Good day, you bridal train on the king's highway," said she.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," they said. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, the hare, the wolf, the bear-cub, the she-bear, and the he-bear—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!" And she rushed at them and gobbled up the bride and bridegroom, and the whole train, with the cook, the fiddler, the horses, and all.

A little later, she came to a church, where she met a funeral.

"Good day, you funeral train," said she.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," they said. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, the hare, the wolf, the bear-cub, the she-bear, the he-bear, the bride and bridegroom and the whole train—and now, I don't mind if I take you too!" So she fell on the funeral train and gobbled up the body and the bearers.

Now, after eating the body, the cat felt so heavy that she was lifted up to the sky. When she had gone a long, long way, she met the moon.

"Good day, Mrs. Moon," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the moon. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, the hare, the wolf, the bear-cub, the she-bear, the he-bear, the bride and bridegroom and the whole train, and the funeral train—and now I think of it, I don't mind if I take you too!" So she seized the moon and gobbled her up, both new and full.

The cat went a long way still, and then she met the sun.

"Good day, Sun in heaven," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the sun. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "It was only a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife, the cow, the leaf-picker, the stoat, the squirrel, the fox, the hare, the wolf, the bear-cub, the she-bear, the he-bear, the bride and bridegroom, the whole train, the funeral train, and the moon—and now I think of it, I don't mind if I take you too!" And she rushed at the sun in heaven and gobbled him up.

So the cat went far and farther than far, until she came to a bridge, where she met a big billygoat.

"Good day, Billygoat on the Broadbridge," said the cat.

"Good day, Mrs. Pussy," said the billygoat. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Oh, I've had a little, but I'm almost starving," said the cat. "I've only had a bowl of porridge, a trough of fat, the goodman, the goodwife in the byre, Daisy the cow at the manger, the leaf-picker in the home-field, Mr. Stoat of Stoneheap, Sir Squirrel of the Brake, Reynard Slyboots, Mr. Hopper the Hare, Greedy Greylegs the Wolf, Bare-breech the Bear-cub, Mrs. Bruin, Baron Bruin, a bridal train on the king's highway, a funeral at the church, Lady Moon in the sky, and Lord Sun in heaven—and now I think of it, I'll take you too!"

"That we'll fight about!" said the billygoat, and he butted at the cat so hard that she fell right over the bridge and into the river, where she burst.

So they all crept out, one after another, and went about their business, just as good as ever—all that the cat had gobbled up. The goodman of the house, the goodwife in the byre, Daisy the cow at the manger, the leaf-picker in the home-field, Mr. Stoat of Stoneheap, Sir Squirrel of the Brake, Reynard Slyboots, Mr. Hopper the Hare, Greedy Greylegs the Wolf, Bare-breech the Bear-cub, Mrs. Bruin, Baron Bruin, the bridal train on the highway, the funeral train at the church, Lady Moon in the sky, and Lord Sun in heaven—all of them, perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.