How the Dog and the Cat Became Enemies

Once upon a time, there lived a poor old man with his blind old wife. They had no children, only a dog and a cat. The animals lived in harmony, following each other like a shadow follows a person, and they served their masters faithfully. When the old man left the house, they would guard the home with the old woman, not letting strangers come close. The old couple cherished their beloved pets more than any treasure, never hitting or scolding them. With the dog and the cat, their miserable lives were a little less dreary.

One day, the old man went to the mountains to cut grass. On his way back, he saw a little black snake lying on the ground, clearly starving and unable to move. The old man felt sorry for the snake, tucked it into his coat, and continued on his way. When he got home, he nursed the snake back to health and fed it. But one day, the old man said to the snake:

"Go away from our home, little snake. We’ve run out of rice, and there’s no more grass—we have nothing left to feed you!"

The snake nodded its head and said:

"Kind grandfather, if it weren’t for you, I would have died of hunger. But I don’t know how to repay you. All I have is my own tail. Take it, put it in a wooden box, and hide it far away so no one else can see it. When you need money, just shake it—coins will fall out of the tail."

The old man agreed. As soon as he cut off the snake’s tail, the snake disappeared. The old man placed the snake’s tail in a wooden box and buried it behind the kitchen, where no one would look.

Whenever the old couple ran out of money, they would dig up the precious box, take out the snake’s tail, shake it, and copper coins would clatter to the floor. The old man would gather the coins, go to the market, and buy oil, salt, rice, and firewood. When he returned home, he would cook food and divide it into four portions: one for the old woman, one for the dog, one for the cat, and one for himself. And so they lived, free from want.

But one day, a wandering merchant knocked on their door. He was afraid to travel alone in the dark, so he asked to spend the night. The old man let him in.

The next morning, before dawn, the old man quietly went behind the kitchen, took the snake’s tail from the box, and shook it. Copper coins rained down to the ground, jingling and clinking. The merchant saw all this through the window. As soon as the old man left the house, the merchant jumped up, dug up the precious box, stuffed it into his basket, hoisted his carrying pole, and ran off.

When the old man returned home, his wife was crying pitifully. The old man asked:

"What misfortune has befallen us?"

The old woman replied:

"The wandering merchant stole our precious box!"

The old man didn’t believe her:

"What are you talking about, old woman? I hid it far and deep. How could he have found it? You must have looked in the wrong place."

Saying this, the old man went behind the kitchen himself. He searched and searched but found nothing.

The old man and his wife were heartbroken. The old man sighed heavily, and the old woman wept bitterly. Just then, the dog and the cat returned from the yard to have breakfast with their masters. But the masters’ faces were sad, their brows furrowed. The dog and the cat sensed that something bad had happened, though they didn’t know what. The old man looked at them, sighed, and said:

"That villainous merchant stole our box. Run after him! You must catch him!"

"Let’s run, maybe we can catch him," said the dog to the cat. "Look how our benefactors are suffering!"

They dashed out of the house and set off on their journey. They walked, sniffing and searching everywhere, but the precious box was nowhere to be found. They decided to go to the merchant’s house, which stood across the river.

When they reached the river, the water was churning, and the waves were foaming. The cat curled up in fear.

"Don’t be afraid," the dog encouraged her. "We’ll find a way to cross to the other side. I know how to swim. And without the box, it’s better not to return home."

Seeing the dog’s bravery, the cat gathered her courage and jumped onto the dog’s back. They swam across the river and found themselves in a small village. They walked through the village, peeking into every yard, not missing a single one. Suddenly, they saw a large house with a crowd of people dressed in red and green—preparing for a wedding. They recognized the groom as the very merchant who had stayed with the old man.

"Go into the house," the dog whispered to the cat. "Find out where the merchant hid the precious box. I’d go myself, but I’m afraid I’d be noticed. Once you find it, run straight to the edge of the village. I’ll wait for you under the willow tree."

The cat nodded, meowed, climbed onto the roof, jumped straight into the courtyard, and then slipped through a small window into the bedroom. She searched every corner for the precious box but couldn’t find it. She sat under the bed, wondering what to do. Suddenly, she saw a mouse emerge from a chest in the bedroom. The cat pounced on the mouse, which trembled in her paws and begged to be released. The cat said indifferently:

"Help me with one thing, and I’ll let you go."

"I’ll do anything, Queen Cat, just tell me what to do," squeaked the mouse.

"Climb into the master’s chest and see if there’s a wooden box inside. If you find it, bring it to me quickly."

The mouse climbed into the chest, quickly retrieved the precious box, and handed it to the cat with a low bow. The cat grabbed the box and bolted.

When the merchant saw the cat, he shouted:

"Stop that cat! She’s stolen the treasure! Catch her!"

People chased after the cat, but she slipped over the wall and disappeared. She ran to the edge of the village, where the dog was waiting under the willow tree, and they set off on their way back. They walked joyfully. When they reached the river, the dog sternly warned the cat:

"If you see a fish or a crab, don’t open your mouth, or you’ll drop the box into the water."

Now the cat wasn’t afraid to swim across the river. She sat proudly on the dog’s back, imagining how her masters would thank her. When they reached the middle of the river, they saw fish swimming in the water. The cat’s mouth watered, and she couldn’t resist shouting:

"Oh, look at all the fish!"

Splash—the box fell into the water and sank.

"I told you not to open your mouth and to keep quiet. What do we do now?"

The dog swam to the shore, left the cat there, and returned to the middle of the river. With great effort, she retrieved the precious box from the water.

The dog was exhausted. She sat down to rest, closed her eyes, and dozed off. Meanwhile, the cat grabbed the box and ran home.

When the old man saw the cat with the box, he was overjoyed. He rushed to his wife to share the good news. They praised the cat, calling her clever and quick. The old man opened the box, took out the snake’s tail, and shook it—copper coins clattered to the floor. He bought all sorts of things, prepared delicious food, and treated the cat. The cat sat comfortably, but before she could start eating, she saw the dog running in.

"Ah, you freeloader! All you know how to do is fill your belly!" the old man scolded the dog.

The cat just kept eating, not saying a word. The dog wanted so badly to eat and drink, but she got nothing tasty—only leftover soup and rice.

From that day on, the dog hated the cat. Whenever she saw her, she tried to grab her by the throat. And so their feud began.

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How the Dog and the Cat Became Enemies

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