The Cat and the Mouse Who Shared a House

by Ruth Hürlimann

Once a cat and mouse shared a house and had a pot of butter to last them through the winter. Then the cat tried to get all the food for herself.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fantasy, German Literature, Fairy Tales, Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1812

Reviews

[Ahmed Ejaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verily, that is the way of the world.

Reading this tale really gave me Aesop's Fables vibes. I have read all of his fables and almost loved them. This tale is from famous fairy tale writers, Grimm Brothers. I love their work.
A cat and a mouse become friends. [How?!! Anyway..] They decide to hide a pot of fat for winter when there will be lack of food for them. But the cat becomes greedy and she, without letting know the mouse, eats all the fat by herself.
When the need really arises for them to use that pot and they find it empty, Cat eats the mouse too.

It's a short tale.
Moral:- We should not trust anyone blindly.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, THAT story. That fable about how cats and mice can't live together because the cat will lie, cheat, and eventually murder the mouse of which I suppose the moral is "don't be too trusting" because mice aren't big readers so presumably it is not intended as a cautionary tale for actual mice.

I've read this before and never cared for it. I wouldn't have gotten it had I realized, but the illustrations were ok. This was my favorite.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

از نکات قابل توجه این داستان میشه به این اشاره کرد که اتفاقات جادویی و عجیب توش نمیوفته، به ساده‌ترین شیوه اومده بود ارتباط دو موجود و خیانت‌ها و اتفاقات رو نشون داده بود.
نکته دیگه جالبش اینه که بین گربه و موش، برای خودم تصورم اینه اگه قرار باشه موجودی حقه بازی کنه باید موشه باشه(شاید تحت تاثیر تام و جری باشم البته) ولی اینجا حقه باز گربه بود.

[Ram Alsrougi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!.

[Arman · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصه‌های برادران گریم
قصه دوم
مصاحبت گربه و موش

قصه بسیار کوتاه و بامزه‌ای بود. دنبال هیچ معنای خاصی در آن نگردید. بیشتر این داستان‌ها صرفاً برای سرگرمی توسط همین مردمان عادی توی کوچه و خیابان ساخته شده بودند.


پ‌ن: همخوانی از روی ترجمه جک زایپس

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You see, that’s the way of the world.”

[❆ Crystal ❆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars... So true, you shouldn't trust anyone when hunger abounds.

[Lör K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this one.

We start off with a cat and mouse living together in a house, and end with their friendship deteriorating very quickly. There was such a fast change, I didn't quite know how to deal with it, and it finished very abruptly. I would have liked a little more on how they became friends and how they came to live with each other - I know it's a faerie tale, but would a few more pages have made a difference, really?

2 out of 5 stars. Definitely won't be reading this one again.

[Vaishali · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness.... Never have I experienced a children's tale so foreboding and admonishing as this one. Two great quotes:

"Nothing ever seems as good as what one keeps to herself." - Cat, after licking a pot that's been secretly tucked away.

"Verily, that is the way of the world." - Grimm's Brother's final sentence of the story, as Cat pounces on Mouse.

A short must-read, though a cheerless one :)

[Sandra (folded.between.pages.of.books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

And that is the way of the world.

I really liked this one, though it's quite sad.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark stuff, reminds me of the scorpion and the frog story.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny! I remember a similar story from when I was a child. Poor mouse though.

[Séraphine Fiore ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sigh. So I wanted light reads after reading one book and this is what I get.... But whatever, the book was fun.

[Stephy's Bookshelf ☾☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way I gasped at the ending and then started to manic laugh hahaha! I was not expecting that, oh my god.

[Genevieve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good story.

[Mariè · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cat was for sure orange

[Greta is Erikasbuddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically this tale will tell you that enemies aren't meant to live with each other. Or maybe that a cheetah can't change his spots cuz he's still gonna eat you.

A cat and a mouse become friends and decide to live together. In order to make it through the winter months they hide a pot of fat under a church alter cuz no one would take something from a church. As winter approaches the cat tells the mouse 3 times that she is going to be a god-mother and has to leave their place. These 3 times the cat eats the fat from the pot hidden from the church. Then when winter comes and they run out of food the mouse suggests they go to the church to get their pot of fat. The cat agrees and once the mouse figures out there is no fat and there were no christenings then the cat is like 'well?' and munches down the mouse.

[Divia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another grim tale by the Grimms. When I saw the title I knew it would not end well for at least one of the two and I was right.

I particularly like how Mouse suspected something was wrong. She just doubted herself so much. Cat, being the deceiver of the two always tried to convince Mouse that she was wrong when she was right. It reminds me of a toxic relationship and how easy it is for people to be gaslit and to ignore red flags for different reasons. Mouse was right about those silly names and Cat seemed to always be condescending to her. Mouse just was not able to act on her views which were always normalised or dismissed by the deceptive Cat.

I think that it is a story that tells you to trust yourself and always seek other people's views too. Mouse was always at home with only Cat filling her head with rubbish. If she had left and spoken to a trusted friend maybe she would have been able to see that she was not overreacting and right to think Cat's names for her godchildren were silly and something strange was happening.

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A general review of the story:

This one has a nice rhythm to it. The cat is lying to the mouse about eating fat off of a pot. Eventually the mouse finds out but the cat eats the mouse. It’s a lesson of how animals will stick to their nature and one shouldn’t be naive. Look out for the cats who lie.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simply put, trust your instincts. It's good to give people a chance, but don't be fooled by flattery or popularity or something else superficial. Cat and mouse they were never meant to be companions in the first place.

[Aura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a story I might want to share with my daughter!

[Cyndi Goodgame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great shock ending unless you know what to expect.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that cat wasn’t particularly nice 😢.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining and interesting Grimm Brothers fairy tale.

[Lady W · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way of the world

[Cade Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat and Mouse in Partnership by Jacob Grimm, is a playful, yet eerie fairytale that evokes a sense of tension and insecurity throughout the read. While themes such as gluttony, selfishness, and deception are shown, this short story is deceptively simple. An opening displaying the amiable feelings between a cat and a mouse, and their solidarity in a common goal of lasting the winter, makes the reader gaze with a sense of foreboding. As the text progresses, we see a cat hastily becoming greedy during the winter, and wanting to break an agreement made by the two, to share the fat (food). The cat, deceiving the mouse and indulging in his inequitable share of ration, can merely be seen as scarcity, and survival. Initially, when reading these passages, I saw greed and a remorseless disposition. After some pondering, I realized that this could be a mere survival instinct, and the mouse missed out In the wake of the various lies, which were usually that the cat was going to a christening. Eventually, the cat ate the mouse; an expected, yet unforeseen action due to the "whimsical" diction of the initial story. Grimm ends with a terse declaration of, "This is the way of the world." This ending line gives the fairy tale a new meaning, and sort of turns the story into a literary tragedy. Someone who also reviewed this book stated, "Tragedies (bad endings) are warnings." I love this quote because of its nuanced application. In the mouse's view, should we speculate others? Should the mouse have taken charge and left in the perilous environment during the winter to investigate the cat? Reading this, I would assume the mouse should have some premonition due to the unwonted friendship. Are we, as humans, supposed to "suspect" others in times of scarcity? I think that while this book ends with a clear statement, it is rather a question for the reader: When in our lives can we apply this story, to not endure the same fate as the mouse? Radical, yet applicable to the common day, through hidden agendas, exploitation, or false pretenses. While this piece of writing is shown through animals, it is clear that predatory nature could be the foremost factor. This raises yet another question: Why didn't the cat just eat the mouse initially? We don't see much guilt in the cat throughout the book, or any signs of the cat becoming conscience-stricken. Rather, the cat uses sarcasm, and pretending that during the christenings he was "attending," babies received names such as "First-part," "Half-done," and "All-gone," referencing the food the cat was consuming. So why did the cat involve the mouse? Was it for mere entertainment? Was the cat preparing for his real meal? Did the cat want some dessert? These are some of the answers I have come up with thus far, but for now I will tell myself that without their interaction, Grimm wouldn't have written the story. Let me know what you guys think.




Tragedy Quote: https://www.reddit.com/r/fairytales/c...

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read from: Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales book

2. Cat and Mouse in Partnership
A cat and mouse development a relationship of sorts. When discussing how they will keep fed during the long winter days, they decide to hide a pot of fat in the church where no one would dare find or steal it from. The cat soon grows hungry and wants some of the fat and devises a story that she is to be a godmother to a relatives babe. She then eats the top part of the fat and lies to the mouse. Time goes on where the cat continues to be called up to be a "godmother" and devours the fat. It's not until the mouse becomes hungry and they go to the church together that they discover the bowl empty and the mouse has a horrible end.

Personal Notes
I feel like this perhaps was part of the development for stories/movies like A Bug's Life, The Tortoise and the Hare and many others. One creatures benefits from the other and takes advantage. Sometimes they are punished or in this instance they just eat the one that discovered their deception.

[Sukriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob Grimm, alongside his brother Wilhelm, is renowned for compiling "Grimm's Fairy Tales," a collection of German folktales. This book is a captivating journey into the heart of folklore, presenting a mixture of enchanting and sometimes dark stories that have fascinated readers for generations. Grimm's work is not just a mere collection of tales; it's a profound exploration of the human condition, morals, and the cultural heritage of Germany. The stories range from the well-loved "Cinderella" and "Snow White" to the less known but equally intriguing tales. Each story is a masterpiece of fantasy, imbued with timeless themes and moral lessons, making this book a valuable treasure for both young and adult readers. Jacob Grimm's contribution through this compilation has left an indelible mark on literature and continues to inspire the imagination of readers worldwide.

[Amelia Bujar · Rating 3 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...

The original tale is much better but also darker then the version kids see.

It is different but not that different from what you might remember from first hearing this tale as a kid.

The plot here are very good but also dark which is the mix which I personally like a lot.

The writing style here was very old and you could feel the vibe of old the Europe which was amazing for me.

[April Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I've either read or seen a short animation based on this story. Here, a cat and mouse decide that because they get on so well, they decide to set up house together to help each other out. One thing Cat does is secure a large pot of fat for use during the bitter cold winter, when other food is hard to get. However, Cat is obsessed with this pot of fat and invents stories so she can have some of the fat herself. The ending may come as a shock to those expecting the wrong-doer to get justice or to learn a lesson. However, it is an honest conclusion.