Tale Summary
There was once a cat who persuaded a mouse to live with her and share in the household chores on account of the great love she felt for her. When winter drew near, the cat said that they must prepare or go hungry, but the mouse should stay home in case she got caught in a trap. A little pot of fat was bought, and the two decided that the cat should hide it in the corner of a church, and that neither should touch it unless they needed to. It wasn’t long before the cat wanted some, and so she told the mouse that she had been asked to be the godmother of her cousin’s son and had to leave for the day. The mouse took care of the housework while the cat ate from the pot of fat, licking off the top. When she arrived home the mouse asked what the name of the child was, and the cat answered that it was Top Off. Soon after, the cat wanted more, and so she said she was again asked to be a godmother and went off to the church and ate half the pot of fat, and upon arriving home she told the mouse that the child’s name was Half Gone. Once more the cat told this lie and ate the rest of the pot, and said the child had been named Clean Gone. When winter came and there was no more food, the two went to the church to retrieve the pot of fat. The mouse saw that it was empty and reprimanded the cat, who then ate her.
Fairy Tale Title
The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Andrew Lang
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Henry Justice Ford
Common Tale Type
Stealing the Partner's Butter
Tale Classification
ATU 15
Page Range of Tale
pp. 1-3
Full Citation of Tale
“The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 1-3.
Original Source of the Tale
Tale Notes
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2024
Book Title
The Yellow Fairy Book
Book Author/Editor(s)
Andrew Lang
Illustrator(s)
Henry Justice Ford
Publisher
Longmans, Green, and Co.
Date Published
1906
Decade Published
1900-1909
Publisher City
London
New York
Bombay
Publisher Country
United Kingdom
United States
India
Language
English
Rights
Public Domain
Digital Copy
Book Notes
Though this book is written in prose with more difficult language than other books of fairy tales in the collection, the Preface says this book is written for children.