The Story of a Cat, a Mouse, a Lizard, and an Owl
The Story of a Cat, a Mouse, a Lizard, and an Owl
Adapted from Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit, translated by S. M. Mitra (1919)
In a magnificent banyan tree outside the walls of Vidisa, four unlikely neighbors made their homes. None were friends, and each lived in constant awareness of the others.
The cat claimed a cozy hole in the trunk, where she would curl up with her head on her paws, believing herself perfectly hidden. The owl roosted high in the leafy canopy near his family’s old nest, watchful of the cat below. The lizard basked on the sun-warmed roots on the south side, catching flies with his lightning-quick tongue while staying alert for predators. And the mouse, most vulnerable of all, had made his home among the damp moss and dead leaves on the opposite side.
Life in the banyan tree followed a delicate balance. The lizard and mouse could only search for food during daylight, though the mouse faced the greater danger. He had to venture to a nearby barley field to nibble on the plump grains, running up the stalks to reach them. Unlike his neighbors who hunted other creatures, the mouse ate only vegetables and fruits.
The cat knew the mouse’s habits well. She would hide among the tall barley stems, her tail twitching and green eyes gleaming, waiting for the little mouse to appear. She never imagined any danger could threaten her in this hunting ground, and she trampled down the barley, creating a clear path through the field.
This path would prove to be her undoing.
One day, a hunter entered the barley field. With a keen eye for tracking, he immediately noticed the path. “Some wild animal has been here,” he muttered, bending to examine the ground. “A cat! Spoiling the barley she doesn’t even want to eat.”
The hunter waited until evening, then set snares throughout the field—simple but effective traps with slip-knots that would tighten around any creature unfortunate enough to walk into them.
The next day, the cat came as usual to hunt the mouse. She spotted her prey darting across the end of the path and pounced—only to find herself caught by the neck in one of the hunter’s snares. She could barely make a sound as the trap tightened around her throat.
The mouse, hearing a faint mew, froze in terror. Cautiously, he peered through the barley stems to see which way to flee. What joy filled his tiny heart when he saw his enemy helplessly trapped!
By chance, both the owl and the lizard were also in the barley field. They too witnessed the cat’s predicament and spotted the mouse peeking through the stalks. The owl thought, “I’ll have that little mouse now that the cat cannot interfere,” while the lizard darted away into the sunshine, relieved that neither predator would trouble him today.
The owl flew to a nearby tree to watch and wait, confident the mouse would soon be his dinner.
But the mouse, small though he was, possessed great wisdom. He saw the owl perched above and knew he faced danger from two sides. An idea formed in his quick mind: “What if I could make friends with the cat while she’s helpless? Perhaps she would promise not to hurt me if she gets free. As long as I stay near the cat, the owl won’t dare approach.”
Gathering his courage, the mouse emerged from the barley. He positioned himself carefully—close enough for the cat to see him clearly, but beyond reach of her claws, yet not so far that the owl could safely swoop down.
“Dear Puss,” he squeaked, “I don’t like seeing you in such trouble. True, we’ve never been friends, but I’ve always respected you as a worthy enemy. If you promise never to harm me, I could help you. My teeth are very sharp—I might be able to nibble through that string around your neck. What do you think?”
The desperate cat could hardly believe her ears. “You dear little mouse,” she purred, “if you’ll only nibble through this string that’s killing me, I promise to always love you, always be your friend. However hungry I might become, I would starve rather than hurt you.”
Without hesitation, the mouse climbed onto the cat’s back and nestled in her soft fur near her neck. He felt safe there—the owl wouldn’t attack him so close to the cat, and the cat couldn’t harm him in her current state.
The cat expected the mouse to begin gnawing the string immediately. When she felt him settle down instead, she grew anxious but dared not speak harshly. “My dear little friend,” she said sweetly, “don’t you think it’s time to keep your promise and set me free?”
The clever mouse pretended to bite the string but took care not to actually cut it. All through the long night, this continued—the mouse taking occasional naps, the cat growing weaker and more desperate.
“If only I could get free,” thought the cat, “the first thing I would do would be to gobble up that horrid little mouse.”
The moon rose and set. The wind whispered through the banyan branches. Wild animals called in the distance, making the cat fear for her life. Again and again, she begged the mouse to hurry, promising eternal gratitude and friendship.
It wasn’t until dawn approached and the hunter could be seen in the distance that the mouse finally acted. “Keep still,” he commanded, “and I will really save you.” With a few quick bites of his sharp teeth, he cut through the string. In an instant, the cat vanished into the barley, while the mouse ran in the opposite direction, knowing full well that all the cat’s promises would be forgotten.
When the hunter reached the snare, he found only the cut string and two white cat hairs on the ground. Puzzled, he eventually gave up and went home.
Later that day, the cat returned to the banyan tree. On her way, she spotted the mouse also heading home and considered hunting him immediately. On second thought, she decided it might be wiser to maintain the appearance of friendship—he might prove useful again someday.
The next day, she went to the roots where the mouse lived and purred loudly. “Dear good little mouse,” she called, “come out and let me tell you how grateful I am for saving my life. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you if you’ll be my friend.”
The mouse only squeaked in response and remained safely hidden until he was certain the cat had climbed back up the tree. “It may be wise to pretend friendship with an enemy when they’re helpless,” thought the mouse, “but I would be a fool to trust a cat when she’s free to kill me.”
The cat made several more attempts to befriend the mouse, all unsuccessful. Eventually, the owl caught the mouse, and the cat killed the lizard. Both the owl and the cat lived out their days in the banyan tree, reaching a good old age.
In this ancient tale, we see that true nature often reveals itself in times of crisis. The mouse showed both cleverness and wisdom—helping his enemy only when it served his own survival, and never forgetting the true nature of those around him. Perhaps there’s a lesson here about recognizing when temporary alliances are necessary, while never forgetting who our true friends really are.
