Cat Culture

Cat Nursery Rhymes

A Collection of some favorite nursery rhymes about cats. Many of these nursery rhymes are oldies but goodies!

I Love Little Pussy (1830)

I love little pussy,

Her coat is so warm,

And if I don’t hurt her,

She’ll do me no harm.

So I’ll not pull her tail,

Nor drive her away,

But pussy and I,

Very gently will play.

I’ll sit by the fire

And give her some food

And Pussy will love me

Because I am good.

As I was Going to St. Ives (1730)

As I was going to St Ives

I met a man with seven wives

Each wife had seven sacks

Each sack had seven cats

Each cat had seven kits

Kits, cats, sacks, wives

How many were going to St Ives?

The Owl and the Pussy Cat

This nursery rhyme is by Edward Lear

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money

Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar,

“O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are, You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!”

Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

But what shall we do for a ring?”

They sailed away for a year and a day,

To the land where the Bong-tree grows,

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,

With a ring at the end of his nose,

His nose, His nose,

With a ring at the end of his nose.

“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”

So they took it away, and were married next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon, The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

The Crooked Cat

There was a crooked man,

And he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence

Against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat,

Which caught a crooked mouse,

And they lived together

In a crooked house.

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat (1805)

Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?

I’ve been down to London to visit the Queen.

Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse, under her chair.

“MEOWW!”

Three Little Kittens (1853)

Three little kittens, they lost their mittens,

And they began to cry,

Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear

That we have lost our mittens.

What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!

Then you shall have no pie.

Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.

You shall have no pie.

The three little kittens, they found their mittens,

And they began to cry,

Oh, mother dear, see here, see here,

Our mittens we have found.

Put on your mittens, you silly kittens,

And you shall have some pie.

Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,

Oh, let us have some pie.

The three little kittens, put on their mittens,

And soon ate up the pie;

Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear

That we have soiled our mittens.

What! Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!

Then they began to sigh,

Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.

They began to sigh.

The three little kittens, they washed their mittens,

And hung them out to dry;

Oh! mother dear, do you not hear

That we have washed our mittens?

What! Washed your mittens, then you’re such good kittens.

But I smell a rat close by

Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.

We smell a rat close by.

Hey Diddle Diddle (1765)

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon.

The little dog laughed to see such sport

And the dish ran away with the spoon!

The Cat & Fiddle is a popular pub name. If your home town doesn’t have a Cat & Fiddle Pub, maybe it is something to think about.

A couple of real popular Cat &Fiddle pubs are the “Cat & Fiddle Pub” on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, CA and the “Cat & Fiddle Sports Pub” in Port Conquitlan, B.C., Canada.

In England there is a road between Buxton, Derbyshire and Macclesfield, Cheshire named “Cat and Fiddle Road”. The “Cat and Fiddle Inn” is the second highest inn in England (515 meters /1,690 ft above sea level).

Shamisen

The Japanese musical instrument called shamisen (meaning “three strings”) was originally made from cat skin.

On the very finest samisen the cat’s nipples are visible.

Shamisen made from cat skin are still in use, though other materials are being tried out.

Cat Fur

King Magnus VI Lagabøte (English: Magnus the law-mender) of Norway (1238 –1280), was known for his work modernize the law-code.

In one of the laws it was confirmed that one cat fur was equivalent in value to three fox furs. Cat fur was accepted as valid payment for goods or services.

Cat fur is still used in coats, gloves, hats, shoes, blankets and stuffed toys.

Circa 24 cats are slaughtered to make one cat fur coat.

This use has been banned in the United States, Australia and the European Union.

Cat furs are still big business in many countries. Cat fur may be sold with false labels as “Real Fur” or “Fake Fur”.

It has also been known that cat fur has been passed as rabbit fur.

Cat fur farms in China have appalling conditions. Beware when you buy a fur, fake or real. DNA testing can reveal if the fur is cat fur.

Cat Meat

Cat meat is not uncommon in China and Vietnam. Cat meat is a part of the local diet Guangdong, China.

It has been estimated that around 3 million cats are eaten every year.

Maybe you want to get involved in an animal protection program?

In other parts of the world “roof hare” was found on the menu.  Roof hare or roof rabbit is actually cat meat being passed off as hare meat. This was known to be eaten during the Second World War. Often those who ate it were unaware of the fact that they were eating cat meat.

Cats Burned to death

In Europe countless black cats were burned to death during the Middle Ages in an effort to fight witches. See Black cats.

Cat Weddings – Fun Facts

Dawn Rogers from California was an ordained Pet Pastor from the Universal Life Church. He had special services aimed for the feline spices.

This unusual pastor saw a need to honor cats with special wedding ceremonies.

He probably also saw a few dollar signs. Pastor Rogers charged $300 for cat weddings in 1986.

Cat Cafés

In Japan cat cafés are becoming increasingly popular. These resemble regular cafés except cats wander freely around.

Cat lovers soon become regular guests sipping their favorite beverage with a cat peacefully asleep on their table.

The cats are free to do as they please. In these cafés the cats rule like royalty.

The humans on the other hand must agree to certain rules as never wake a sleeping cat. Guests may caress the cats, but never harm them in any way. Cats are considered to be very auspicious in Japan.

Lately cat cafés have been established in many countries around the world. It seems these cafés fill a need for cat lovers.

Cat Flap Door

Sir Isac Newton (1643-1727), the great physicist was a devoted lover of cats.  He has been credited to inventing the cat flap door.

Cat lovers, who wish to honor this genius of a man, will find his grave in Westminster Abby, London.

The Fishing Cat

In Paris there is a street named “rue du Chat qui Pêche” meaning “the street of the fishing cat”.

It was named after a cat in the 17th century who loved to catch fish in cellars after the flooding of the river Seine.

World’s Large Collection of Cat Books

Helen Monnette Amestoy had an enormous collection of cat books. She had spent her lifetime collecting books on cats.

In 2004 her collection of 6000 books on cats was donated to the Arne Nixon Center in Fresno, California.

This is believed to be the world’s largest collection of cat books in a library. Many of the books are extremely valuable.The first major cat show took place on July 13, 1871 in Chrystal Place, London. A total of 170 cats were entered at the show.

First Cat Postage Stamp

The first postage stamp ever made with the picture of a cat was in 1887 by the German state of Bergedorf. It showed a cat with a fish in its mouth.

The Year of the Cat

In Vietnam the animals of the zodiac differ slightly from the Chinese zodiac. In the Vietnamese zodiac the cat replaces the rabbit of the Chinese zodiac.

Anyone born in the Chinese year of the rabbit is according to the Vietnamese zodiac born in the year of the cat.

The years of the Cat are as follows: 1903 – 1915 – 1927 – 1939 – 1951 -1963 -1975 – 1987 -1999 – 2011. The first day of the year of the Cat 2011 was February 3rd.

Cat anatomy fun facts

An adult cat has 30 teeth.

Cats have three times better hearing than dogs.

Cats have a third eyelid called the haw. The haw is not easy to see. If the haw is clearly visible; it is a sign that your cat is ill. Call the vet.

The normal body temperature of the domestic cat is 38.6 degrees C (101.5 degrees F)

Cats with blue eyes have a high risk of deafness. White cats are also at high risk of deafness.

All kittens are blind and deaf when they are born, but they do have a strong sense of smell.

All kittens have blue eyes. The color of their eyes changes when the kittens are about three months old.

Kindle means a litter of kittens.

Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat reached worldwide fame and become quite a phenomenon. Millions of people all around the world have fallen in love with this awesome female feline.

Her actual name is (would you believe it!) Tardar Sauce! There certainly is something special about this cat.

Grumpy cat has appeared on TV shows and is also featured now on t-shirts, mugs and whatever. Her popularity is increasing by the day.

This sour faced cat has her home in Arizona. She was born April 4, 2012 and is a mixed breed. Tabatha Bundesen is the lucky “owner” of this precious feline. It is told that although she has become a world famous star, she remains calm.

It is no wonder people from every corner of the world love Tardar Sauce!

We are all aware that the cats in the religion practiced in Ancient Egypt were worshipped as a feline goddess.

As this religion no longer as any followers (except for feline species) it has settled into the world of mythology.

The church is known to have treated cats appallingly.

Cats were associated with the evil powers and brutally killed or burned alive with thousands of innocent women who were falsely accused of witchcraft.

Most unfortunate were black cats. Read more on black cats.

Interesting enough there is no reference of any cats in the Bible.

The Gospel of the Holy Twelve

In “The Gospel of the Holy Twelve” there are two stories concerning Jesus and cats

The Gospel of the Holy Twelve – Lection 24:

“1. As Jesus passed through a certain village he saw a crowd of idlers of the baser sort, and they were tormenting a cat which they had found and shamefully treating it. And Jesus commanded them to desist and began to reason with them, but they would have none of his words, and reviled him.

2. Then he made a whip of knotted cords and drove them away, saying; this earth which my Father-Mother made for joy and gladness, ye have made into the lowest hell with your deeds of violence and cruelty; and they fled before his face. “

The Gospel of the Holy Twelve, Lection 34:

“ 7. AND as Jesus entered into a certain village he saw a young cat which had none to care for her, and she was hungry and cried unto him, and he took her up, and put her inside his garment, and she lay in his bosom.

8. And when he came into the village he set food and drink before the cat, and she ate and drank, and showed thanks unto him. And he gave her unto one of his disciples, who was a widow, whose name was Lorenza, and she took care of her.

9. And some of the people said, This man careth for all creatures, are they his brothers and sisters that he should love them? And he said unto them, “Verily these are your fellow creatures of the great Household of God, yea, they are your brethren and sisters, having the same breath of life in the Eternal.”

Patron Saint of Cats

Did you know that cats have their own patron saint? They do. Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats.

Saint Gertrude was abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Nivelles, in what is today in Belgium. She lived from 626 – 659. Her feast day is March 17.

Monastery of Saint Nicolas of the Cats

In Cyprus, near Limassol there is a convent with the official name “Monastery of Saint Nicolas of the Cats”.

It is told that St. Helena of Constantinople (ca. 246 – 18 August 330) brought cats to the monastery in the 4th century in order to reduce the snake population.

To this day the nuns continue to care for the many cats residing at the monastery.