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Aesop’s Cats

Here are a couple of my favorites:

VENUS AND THE CAT

In ancient times there lived a beautiful cat who fell in love with a young man.  Naturally, the young man did not return the cat’s affections, so she besought Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, for help.  The goddess, taking compassion on her plight, changed her into a fair damsel.

No sooner had the young man set eyes on the maiden than he became enamored of her beauty and in due time led her home as his bride.  One evening a short time later, as the young couple were sitting in their chamber, the notion came to Venus to discover whether in changing the cat’s form she had also changed her nature.  So she set down a mouse before the beautiful damsel.  The girl, reverting completely to her former character, started from her seat and pounced upon the mouse as if she would eat it on the spot, while her husband watched her in dismay.

The goddess, provoked by such clear evidence that the girl had revealed her true nature, turned her into a cat again.

APPLICATION: What is bred in the bone will never be absent in the flesh.

THE CAT AND THE FOX

A fox was boasting to a cat one day about how clever he was. “Why, I have a whole bag of tricks,” he bragged.  “For instance, I know of at least a hundred different ways of escaping my enemies, the dogs.”

“How remarkable,” said the cat.  “As for me, I have only one trick, though I usually make it work. I wish you could teach me some of yours.”

“Well, sometime when I have nothing else to do,” said the fox, “I might teach you one or two of my easier ones.”

Just at that moment they heard the yelping of a pack of hounds.  They were coming straight toward the spot where the cat and the fox stood.  Like a flash the cat scampered up a tree and disappeared in the foliage.  “This is the trick I told you about,” she called down to the fox.  “It’s my only one.  Which trick are you going to use?”

The fox sat there trying to decide which of his many tricks he was going to employ.  Nearer and nearer came the hounds. When it was quite too late, the fox decided to run for it.  But even before he started the dogs were upon him, and that was the end of the fox, bagful of tricks and all!

APPLICATION: One good plan that works is better than a hundred doubtful ones.