'The Cat' by Andrew Barton Paterson

Hello Friends... 

Sure, we all are doing well... Be careful, we must stay fit and shouldn't fall ill getting our studies affected. We shall eat and drink healthy, exercise regularly, and won't avoid our domestic and social responsibilities. And whatever time we get for ourselves at the end of the day, we must study hard for most of the time, so that we learn to think... and learn. We simply cannot afford to stop thinking, for we are learners, and we are the chosen ones who got the scope to learn... 

Let's learn to think first...

Who May Benefit from the Discussion

This discussion is to help young learners to study a text intensively, to identify its type, and to note how the language is used [in real life] to express meaning, not only through words and phrases,- but also through grammatical rules and structures. The text [along with the post-reading activities] used for the purpose here is taken from ‘BLISS’, the prescribed textbook for the ESL students of Class X, WBBSE. Students are to participate in the discussion as per their own pace and comfort. An average student may require 10-12 hours to study [not just reading] the elements discussed here. So, s/he has to take breaks in between [as per her/his own need] as s/he participates in the discussion.

The Cat

Andrew Barton Paterson

The Title

As usual, we start reading the text right from its title. We need to get some clue about what we are going to study before we actually start, right? 

What do you think of the title here? Is it not quite straight and simple? Of course, the moment we read the title, we understand that here we are either going to participate in a discussion about cats in general, or are going to listen to a story about some particular cat. 

Have you noted how the use of the definite article ‘the’ indicates to both the possibilities? Is it not interesting?-

You may say ‘the cat’ to refer to the whole class of the animal, distinguishing/differentiating it from the other animals:

The cat [all the cats are being referred to in here, distinguished/differentiated from other animals like lions and tigers] is a domestic animal.

At the same time, you may say ‘the cat’ to refer to a particular cat differentiating it from the other cats:

Look at those cats. Have you noticed the white one? The cat [white one in particular, differentiated from the other cats] is very greedy.

Do you really expect to hear/read a story/tale involving the whole class of cats? I myself don’t expect it. But if you are told about a particular cat, don’t you expect to hear some stories about it?

Hence, this text may be a discussion [as we commonly find in an essay] on cats, or a tale [story] about a particular cat here. If it is an essay discussing cats in general, it is the author whose voice we hear, but if it is a story, it is the narrator’s voice we hear, right?

Let’s start reading the text and find out what the text is, and whose voice is this...

Unit-1

1st Paragraph

Most people think that the cat is an unintelligent animal, fond of ease and caring little for anything but mice and milk. But a cat has really more character than most human beings, and gets a great deal more satisfaction out of life.

Well, it has started as a discussion on cats as a class of animals… Don’t you think so? Have you missed ‘a cat’ from the second sentence? The indefinite article ‘a’ indicates that it can be any cat on this planet. 

But it may soon turn to a particular one. We often find stories that begin with a general description/narration like this. We have to wait and find it out as we read on further...

How do most of the people find the cat?

Yes,- unintelligent [Yes, you have guessed the meaning right. It means ‘foolish’. But have you used this word yourself before? Have you ever come across this word earlier in some other text? It is not a very commonly used word. I mean, you must be using ‘foolish’ much often than using ‘unintelligent’.], fond of ease [ease-loving, or lazy, you might say], caring little about anything [careless about everything] but mice and milk [except mice and milk, that is to say, cats care only about their favourite food- mice and milk].

Splitting Longer Sentences into Simpler And Shorter Sentences:

Do you find the very first sentence too long to understand the meaning on your first reading? If you face such a problem, you should try to get the meaning of the sense groups separately before you try to get the meaning of the whole sentence. That is to say, let's just split the sentence into simpler and smaller ones:

1. The cat is an unintelligent animal.
2. The cat is fond of ease.
3. The cat cares little for anything. 
4. The cat only cares for mice and milk.
5. Most people think cats are like this.

Do you find this trick helpful to get the meaning of the original sentence from the text?

But don't you think that this way requires more time to communicate? Hence, often we prefer to join these smaller, simpler sentences or sense groups to a single sentence. It not only saves time, but also makes the argument/meaning more organised and well-expressed, doing away with the unnecessary repetitions.

Joining Sentences Together to Make a More Organised And Well-expressed Sentence:

Why don't we just go the opposite way and find out how we can join/combine these above sentences [1-5] to the original sentence once again?

We have a total of five sense groups to combine together for the purpose. Have you noticed how they are related to each other?

Yes, the first four sentences basically represent the thinking process [thought] of most of the people. Or we can say that most of the people think what is said in the first four sentences of the series above.

Doesn't it seem that the author/narrator is trying to let us know how most of the people think about cats in the very first sentence of the paragraph? 

Or do you feel that the author/narrator is primarily trying to tell us how cats are, and what most of the people think about them is just secondary?

Main clause:

To be sure, for our author/narrator, what most of the people think about cats is primary. That's why the 5th sentence in the split up series is the main clause in the original sentence. 

Hence, we start combining the split-up sense-groups together with the 5th sentence as the main clause to begin with:

Most people think…

Transitive Verb:

Now, 'think' is a transitive verb. It requires an object to complete the meaning or sense. The moment you are told that ‘most people think’, you certainly want to know what they think of/about…

We have already seen that most people think the sentences from 1-4. So now we need to combine them together:

All these four sentences have 'the cat' as the subject of the verb phrases they contain. 

It means all these four sentences tell us about the cat, and none else.

So, we may refer to the cat only once, and describe whatever is told about the cat in all the 1-4 sentences:

[1.] The cat is an unintelligent animal, [We now drop the subject 'the cat' from the second sentence (and later from the third and fourth sentences as well) as we combine the content because we have already referred to it at the beginning of this part of the sentence we are constructing, and use just a ‘comma’ instead to mean addition of information from the second sentence with the same verb ‘is’ as we have in the first sentence] [2.] fond of ease and ['and' is used here to mean addition of further information, just as the earlier comma. It refers to what more the cat is fond of.] [3.] caring little [Here in the third sentence, the verb phrase is ‘cares’, and we have converted the verb phrase to its corresponding present participle adjective, just by adding ‘-ing’ to it.] for anything [4.] but [Note the conjunct of contradiction, ‘but’. In the third sentence, it is told that the cat doesn't care for anything. In the fourth sentence, however, it is told that the cat takes care of only milk and mice. So, there is a contradiction. We may join the third and the fourth sentences together and say that the cat cares for nothing but (except) milk and mice.] mice and milk. 

The underlined part indicates the part of the sentence combined from the four simpler sentences [1-4] from the series above.

Subordinate Clause:

Now we have got the thinking of most of the people:

The cat is an unintelligent animal, fond of ease and caring little for anything but mice and milk.

But this is secondary. So this is the subordinate clause in the first sentence of the paragraph. It is linked to the main clause with the linker 'that':

Most people [subject] think [verb phrase] that the cat is an unintelligent animal, fond of ease and caring little for anything but mice and milk [object].

Did you find this too difficult? Well, it is not that difficult as it seems to you at first. Follow the process of splitting the sentence into simpler units, and combining/joining the simpler units to the original sentence back again for a couple of times more, and I am sure you will get it through. In fact, you may very well find other valid ways to split and join sentences suitable for your own purpose of communication as you study the process on your own. And you have got the whole of this text and the discussion about the text itself to pick out sentences you would like to split up, or join together as per your choice of convenience. So, why don’t you practice a little before you give it up? You are free to ask me for help if you get stuck...

Linkers Indicating Meaning:

I am quite sure you can now make out the sense of contradiction from the linker 'But' that begins the second sentence of the first paragraph…

But a cat has really more character than most human beings, and gets a great deal more satisfaction out of life.

And we have another linker 'than' in the same sentence. Why do we use this particular linker?

Right you are… It is the linker used to bring in the comparison between two objects.

What are the two objects being compared here?

Yes, cats and most human beings are the two parties being compared here.

Character

Can you make out the sense of the word 'character' here?

How can a cat have more character than most of the people?

How can it get more satisfaction out of life? 

Is it more beneficial to be born as a cat then?

Alright, make your guesses and wait till we read further to get your guesses validated.

Use of ‘most’ And ‘more’:

In the meantime, I do hope that you have noted the use of 'most' and 'more' in this paragraph. These two words are specifically used to make comparisons. Just to remind you in case you have forgotten,- 'more' indicates that two objects are being compared whereas 'most' indicates that more than two objects are being compared.

Why don't you attempt to use these two words to compare objects you need to compare in your own lives?

Unit-1

2nd Paragraph

Let’s resume our reading once again...

He- or she- is an athlete, an acrobat and a grim fighter. All day long the cat loafs about the house, takes things easy and allows himself to be pestered by the attentions of the people in the house. To pass the time away he sometimes watches a mouse-hole for an hour or two- just to keep himself from dying of boredom. People get this idea that this sort of thing is all that holds life for a cat. But watch him as the shades of evening fall. You can see the cat as he really is.

The Characters/Roles

Here, we get the list of the characters/roles a cat usually plays in the very first sentence of the paragraph. A cat is an athlete, an acrobat, and a fighter, irrespective of its gender. 

An Athlete:

Why do you think the author/narrator thinks a cat is an athlete?

Yes, because a cat is usually very fast…

An Acrobat:

Why acrobat?

A cat may be compared to an acrobat because of its immense flexibility. They say that a cat has nine lives. Do you think it has got something to do with its unparalleled flexibility? 

A cat is both a predator and a prey. It must be very fast and flexible in order to catch its prey [Why don’t you think of some of its most common prey?] and avoid its own predators [Can you name some possible predators of cats?].

A Grim Fighter:

And now, I’m almost sure that you’ve realised why a cat is a grim/serious fighter… A predator must not forget how to fight for its survival even if it is domesticated, don’t you think so?

The Illusion/Mistaken Idea:

Then why do most of the people think cats are unintelligent animals? You may get back to the first paragraph for a quick recapitulation in case you have forgotten it.

People think so [get this idea] because throughout the day, they find the cat loafing [have you noted the use of the present participle adjective: ‘loaf’ (usually used as a verb) + ‘-ing’= loafing (functioning as an adjective here)] about the house, avoiding any serious activity. He takes things easy, caring little for them. He however allows the people of the house to pester/irritate him repeatedly with their attention. 

But, did you miss the fun? Who is in charge of giving the allowance? The people of the house, or the cat? Did you get the hint of the cat having more ‘character’ [meaning ‘spirit’, not a ‘role’] than the people?

The cat is actually never a lazy creature. Hence it has to try hard to ‘kill’ its time throughout the day. Sometimes it even has to watch a mouse hole for an hour or two,- not to prey upon a mouse, but to stay amused, just not to get killed out of boredom. Don’t you find this cat utterly civil and domesticated who even won’t kill a mouse? Why do you think a domesticated, well-cared cat would need to hunt a mouse down? Have you ever felt that Tom, the cat, hunts Jerry, the mouse [from the ‘Tom And Jerry Shows’], because he is hungry? 

However, it is quite clear from the way the author/narrator puts it that the cat himself finds the daytime pretty boring and non-happening. He just waits somehow throughout the day for the evening to fall to get into his true life. But mostly, people observe the cat during the day time and think them to be ease-loving, unintelligent creatures.

By the way, we have already completed the first unit of the text. What do you think of the text now? Is it a story, or an essay?

Comprehension Exercises [Post-reading Activities, Unit-1]:

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

a. Most people think that the cat is

i) wise

ii) unintelligent

iii) clever

iv) intelligent

b. The cat cares little for anything but mice and

i) soup

ii) juice

iii) water

iv) milk

c. One can see the cat as he really is in the

i) morning

ii) night

iii) afternoon

iv) evening

2. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

a. The cat really has more character than ____________________________________________.

b. The cat sometimes watches _____________________________________________________.

c. All day long the cat allows himself to be ___________________________________________.

3. State whether the following statements are 'true' or 'false'. Provide sentences/ phrases/ words in support of your answer:

a. The cat is not fond of ease. 

b. The cat has no athletic skills.

c. The cat takes things very easily.

Answer Key:

1. a. ii) unintelligent

1. b. iv) milk

1. c. iv) evening

2. a. most human beings.

2. b. a mouse-hole [for an hour or two- just to keep himself from dying of boredom].

2. c. pestered by the attentions of the people in the house.

3. a. It is ‘True’.

Supporting statement: ‘But a cat has really more character than most human beings, and gets a great deal more satisfaction out of life.’

3. b. It is ‘False’.

Supporting statement: ‘He- or she- is an athlete, an acrobat and a grim fighter.’

3. c. It is ‘False’.

Supporting statement: ‘But watch him as the shades of evening fall.’

Unit-2

1st Paragraph

Let’s continue reading the text:

When the family sits down to tea, the cat puts in an appearance to get his share. He purrs noisily and rubs himself against the legs of the family members. If there is a guest at the table the cat is particularly civil to him, because the guest is likely to have the best of what is offered. Sometimes, instead of giving him something to eat, the guests stoops down and strokes the cat, and says, "Poor pussy! Poor pussy!" The cat soon tires of that. He puts up his claw and quietly but firmly rakes the guest in the leg. "Ow!" says the guest, "the cat stuck his claws into me!" The delighted family remarks, "Isn't it sweet of him? Isn't he intelligent? He wants you to give him something to eat."

Put in an Appearance:

Note the use of the idiom ‘puts in an appearance’ in the very first sentence of the paragraph. You put in an appearance only if you attend some event [often against your will] for a very short time. Don’t you feel that the cat is asserting its character [What do you think I mean here by the word ‘character’, ‘spirit’, or ‘role’?] once again as it decides to attend the family-tea to get its share of food, but only for a short time?

Has he got some business in particular to attend?

The Adverbial Phrase at the Beginning:

Have you noted the way the first sentence of the paragraph is written, with the adverbial phrase [referring to time] at the beginning? Mostly, we put the adverbials at the end of sentences. But here, the narrator decides to put it in the opposite way. Why?

Maybe, to make a contrast between mankind and the cat, and to show how the cat has got more character [I’m hopeful that you can now make out that ‘character’ means ‘spirit’ when it is used with the preceding adjective ‘more’] than most human beings… So, it begins with the lesser ones,- 

When the family [human beings, the lesser ones] sits down to tea, [all the members of the family get together to have their tea retiring from the day’s work], the cat arrives just for a short while to get his share [of food], indicating he has got business to do… And we have already been told that a cat turns to its own true self once ‘the shades of evening fall’. So, we are free to assume that the cat is running short of time to get into his true business...

What the Cat Does:

Showing Intimacy:

He purrs [makes a gurgling sound out of satisfaction] and rubs himself against the legs of the family members. Those who have cats as your pets must have found this to be a very common behaviour of cats at the time of feeding them. Before they are served, they purr and rub themselves against your bodies anticipating a generous serving of their favourite food. But do they show any sign of gratitude after they are served and fed?

Being More Civil to the Guest:

And he is particularly civil [more polite, and attentive of course] to the guest at the table. He chooses to pay the guest more attention. The reason is simple. The guest is likely [expected] to get the best share of the food that is offered [served] at the table. The cat pays the guest more attention to get a share from the best that is served apart from his own share. 

Would you like to say that the cat is greedy?

Or, manipulative?

Have your answers ready… We’ll come back again to these questions later as we get our answers validated…

Plan B:

It is not always that our plans work. Sometimes, the guests give the cat an additional share from their plates, but sometimes, they do not. Instead, the guest stoops down [bends down from the chair], strokes [runs his/her hand along the body to show affection/love] the cat, and lovingly calls it ‘poor pussy’. [Pussy is just another name to refer to cats. The use of ‘poor’ reflects love/affection].

The cat soon tires of that… Why?

It gets tired out of the situation. The cat does not want to get pestered anymore with affection. Remember, it appears just to receive its own share of food, and seems to be in a hurry. 

Being Rude/Uncivil:

Hence, it rakes [scratches] the guest in the leg quietly [without making any noise] but firmly [with some force/pressure] with its claws.

The Shock of the Guest And the Irony:

The guest is shocked at this uncivil manner of the cat. [How do we say so? Would you like to pick out some expression from the text to support our statement?] Ironically, it was this cat who was being particularly civil to the guest minutes earlier. And, more ironically, it was the guest who was stroking the cat calling it ‘poor’ moments earlier, and now the ‘poor’ guest is there, utterly shocked…

The delighted [very much happy] family remarks [says], "Isn't it sweet of him? Isn't he intelligent? He wants you to give him something to eat."

The Family:

What do you say about this? Is the family being civil enough towards the guest?

Well, if you ask me, [statutory warning: I am no pet-lover/owner] pet-lovers/owners are like this. They can’t help it even if it seems to be rude to others. They always have reasons to indulge their pets…

Hence, they happily translate their ‘sweet’ and ‘intelligent’ cat’s behaviour as a request to give him something to eat, and don’t get bothered about the shock of the guest, at least not in the way the guest expects.

Unit-2

2nd Paragraph

Let’s continue reading the text:

The guest dares not do what he would like to do- kick the cat out of the window. So, with tears of rage and pain in his eyes, he affects to be very much amused, and sorts out a bit of fish from his plate and hands it down. The cat gingerly receives it, with a look in his eyes that says, "Another time, my friend, you won't be so slow to understand." He purrs as he retires to a safe distance from the guest's boot before eating his food.

What the Guest Wants to Do:

Why do you think the guest dares [gets bold enough] not do what he would like to do?

Why don’t you imagine yourself to be the guest here?

Would you have kicked the cat out of the window then?

You must have been a very uncivil guest then. But, here, the guest is trying to remain civil towards the host.

Do you think the guest is a pet-lover/owner himself? Why? Let me know down there in the comment box.

Would You Like to Contradict?

Earlier, we have seen how the linker ‘but’ is used to point out contradiction. Now, you get another useful way of expressing some sort of contradiction again:

The guest dares not do what he would like to do.- The guest does not dare to do what he wants to do. He wants to do something. But he does something else. 

We may think of some parallel expressions that we often need to use in our daily life-

I dare not say what I would like to say. [Would you like to imagine the context/situation?]

I dare not write what ___________________. Why don’t you complete the expression on your own before you start to think of your own examples?

And have you noted the contradiction in the very next sentence?

So, with tears of rage [anger] and pain in his eyes, he affects [shows] to be very much amused, and sorts out [separates] a bit of [a portion/piece of] fish from his plate and hands it down [places it down, most probably on floor].

Yes, one cannot be amused when he is suffering from pain and anger, for they are contradictory emotions. But again, we know that we often have to show the opposite of what we feel for the sake of being polite and civil. 

Don’t you find the discussion interesting?

Do you really agree?

I’m afraid you’re being civil towards me…

Though/Still

The contradiction pointed out implicitly/subtly/indirectly in the second sentence of the paragraph can also be expressed in a more explicit/direct way using ‘though’ and/or ‘still’:

Though he has tears of rage and pain in his eyes, [‘still’ is optional here, you may or may not use the word, but the sense is understood] he affects to be very much amused.

Likewise:

[‘Though’ is optional here, you may or may not use the word, but the sense is understood] He has tears of rage and pain in his eyes, still he affects to be very much amused.

Would you like to think of any other way to express this contradiction? Let me know...

Let’s get back to our dear cat again…

What the Cat Does:

What does he do as the guest finally hands him a bit of fish down from his own plate? 

The cat gingerly [carefully] receives it, with a look in his eyes that says, "Another time, my friend, you won't be so slow to understand." He purrs as he retires [moves on and settles down] to a safe distance from the guest's boot before eating his food.

Why is the cat extra cautious/careful as he receives the food?

Why does he retire to a safe distance from the guest’s boot before eating his food?

Yes, the cat has not mistaken the guest’s true feelings towards himself. He knows that the guest actually feels to kick him hard though he poses to be amused. So, he receives the bit of fish carefully and moves away from the reach of the guest’s boot before he starts eating.

And how do you feel about that look in his eyes? It tells the guest that next time he won’t be slow to understand that he needs to give a cat some food from his plate instead of just stroking/patting him. Does that look reflect the ‘pride’ and ‘satisfaction’ of a ‘teacher’ who feels to have taught his/her student [subject?!!!] a ‘lesson’? Do you feel the cat to be quite aggressive in securing what he ‘wants’? You may secretly inbox me if you don’t want to answer publicly...

Is the Cat Unintelligent?

Yes, now it's time to evaluate the cat. Is he unintelligent? Is he greedy? Is he manipulative?

Well, he ‘wants’ the guest ‘to give him something to eat’. You may call him ‘greedy’, or may not. But surely, he is manipulative, and he is quite aggressive in his way of being manipulative. Can such manipulative animals be unintelligent? 

Comprehension Exercises [Post-reading Activities, Unit-2]:

4. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

a. The cat rubs himself against the legs of the family members and noisily

i. purrs

ii. howls

iii. barks

iv. news

b. Which tears of rage and pain in his eyes, the guest affects to be very much

i. amused

ii. annoyed

iii. unhappy

iv. upset

c. The guest hands down the cat a bit of

i. meat

ii. fruit 

iii. fish 

iv. vegetable

5. Filling the chart with information from the text:

a) The guest calls the cat
b) Part of the guest's body that the cat rakes
c) The thing from which the cat stays at a safe distance

6. Answer the following questions:

a. When does the cat make an appearance to get his share of food?

b. Whom is the cat particularly civil to?

c. How does the cat receive the bit of fish handed down by the guest?

Answer key:

4. a. i. purrs

4. b. i. amused

4. c. iii. fish

5. a. ‘Poor pussy’

5. b. leg

5. c. the guest’s boot

6. a. The cat makes an appearance to get his share of food when the family sits down to tea.

6. b. The cat is particularly civil to the guest, [if there is any].

6. c. The cat gingerly receives the bit of fish handed down by the guest.

Unit-3

1st Paragraph

Let’s continue reading the text:

When the family has finished tea, and gathers round the fire, the cat casually goes out of the room. True life now begins for him. He saunters down his own backyard, springs to the top of the fence, drops lightly down to the other side. He trots across and skips to the roof of an empty shed. His movement becomes lithe and pantherlike. He looks keenly from side to side and moves noiselessly, for he has so many enemies- dogs and small boys with stones.

Do you think that the author [Yes, this is not a story, but an essay, of course. If you are not convinced, wait till you reach the end part of the discussion. We discuss this in more detail there.] starts the paragraph with an adverbial phrase at the beginning for a reason here? Would you like to explain the possible reason[s]?

The Family And the Cat:

The day is now over, the family gathers round the fire [at the fireplace] for some warmth. On the other hand, the cat goes out of the room. And don't miss the way he goes out,- he goes out casually, without much effort, caring little for the warmth of the fire, or the family.

Why? Because ‘true’ life now begins for him…

Let’s find out the truth of a cat having more ‘character’ then… Shall we?

The ‘True’ Cat:

He saunters [walks leisurely] down his own backyard, springs [jumps] to the top of the fence, drops lightly [jumps making the least noise] down to the other side. He trots [moves faster] across and skips [springs] to the roof of an empty shed [a structure/building with a roof used as a storehouse mostly]. His movement becomes lithe [flexible/agile] and pantherlike [like a panther, an animal that belongs to the big cat family]. He looks keenly [sharply] from side to side and moves noiselessly, for he has so many enemies- dogs and small boys with stones.

The Casual Start:

And the ‘true’ life begins to gain momentum. It begins very casually though. The cat goes out of the room. Then he walks slowly and crosses the backyard of the house. As he reaches the fence at the boundary of the house, he jumps on to the top of the fence, and then jumps down to the other side again. Now, out of the campus of the house, he moves faster, and reaches an empty shed nearby in the locality, and jumps up on its roof. Throughout this time, he moves beautifully and flexibly like a panther. He keeps on watching his sides and moves without making a noise, for he knows it well that he has got many enemies like dogs and small boys with stones. 

Do you feel the adrenaline rush? Or do you feel a bit sad for the cat all alone in this cruel world full of dogs and small boys with stones?

Don’t worry, dogs are not as lithe as cats, and cannot jump up on the roof of an empty shed so easily. And as for the small boys with stones, most of them are now [as the daytime is over] locked up in their homes with all the deadly hometasks… Aren’t you?

The Description:

But, you must appreciate the description. Don’t you? It is short, but revealing. It’s told, but makes you see. Just close your eyes and try to visualise/imagine the cat going out of the house and springing up on the roof of the empty shed. Only close observation enables you to describe so aptly. 

Did you note what you must learn if you want to describe smartly?

Unit-3

2nd Paragraph

Let’s continue reading the text:

On top of the shed, the cat arches his back and rakes his claws once or twice through the soft bark of the old roof. He stretches himself a few times to see if every muscle is in full working order. Then, drooping his head nearly to his paws, he sends across a call to his kindred. Before long they come, gliding, graceful shadows. No longer are they the meek creatures who an hour ago when mewing for fish and milk. They are now grim fighters.

The Evening Life:

The Empty Shed:

And warming up is essential for an athlete to succeed, right? So the cat arches [bends like an arch/dome] his back, rakes his claws once or twice through the soft bark of the old roof [The layer of moss that old roofs gather with the passage of time is beautifully expressed through the phrase ‘soft bark’, isn’t it? ‘Bark’ is the outer covering of a tree. Old trees gather moss, and their bark turns softer. Doesn’t the phrase also imply that the empty shed stands out there in the locality as an age old tree gathering moss upon it?] and stretches himself a few times to see if every muscle is in full working order.

The Party-time

And then, it’s the party-time:

Then, drooping [stooping] his head nearly to his paws, he sends across a call to his kindred [family and relations/kin].

The Leader And His Gang:

Doesn’t he seem like a leader of some gang? Have you noted his posture while he sends the call, by the way? You can easily understand that the call is a long one on a low pitch if you notice the cat lowering his head to his paws [closer to the ground]. Do you agree?

Unit-3

3rd Paragraph

Let’s continue reading the text:

And the Transition/Change Is Over Now:

Before long [soon] they [the other cats] come, gliding [moving without any noise], graceful shadows [shadows, for these cats are not clearly seen in the dark of the evening, but they come gracefully, in style that man must admire, if not envy]. No longer are they the meek [gentle/shy] creatures who an hour ago when mewing [calling out] for fish and milk. They are now grim fighters.

The Organisation of the Argument:

Have you noted how the author has organised his argument/thought process? He begins with the misconception most of the people have about cats. Most of the people think cats are unintelligent and lazy. But the author directly points out that this notion/idea is nothing but a misconception [Did you notice the use of ‘but’ to mean ‘except’?]. Then he chooses to elaborate implicitly/indirectly why people mostly have this misconception about cats. Cats pass their daytime mostly doing nothing significant. Hence, people often fall into the trap of treating them as unintelligent and lazy. 

But shouldn’t they have noticed the manipulative cat as he rakes the guest and demands a portion of food from his plate? Yes, they should have… I would certainly have. Wouldn’t you? Then why does the family fail to notice that?

Affectionate Pet-lovers/owners:

Maybe, they are too blinded to see. Pet-lovers/owners often are so affectionate that they don’t find any fault with them. Remember how they translated the rude behaviour of their cat as his cuteness and intelligence and were delighted about the way he asked the guest for food? Don’t you think, instead of being delighted, they should have apologised for the rude beaviour of their pet, and should have attempted to train/teach the cat in a better fashion?

But they don’t. Have you noticed how the author chooses to remain silent upon how the family is expected to behave when their cat turns uncivil? Yes, he just narrates the incident, and very subtly/implicitly/indirectly leaves us [the readers] to judge the family. Don’t you think he leaves us to judge ourselves too if we also behave like the family as pet-owners?

The Satire:

Any ‘satire’ aims for self-correction. This portion of the text is highly satirical, but in a very subtle manner. And the author never turns rude and hits at the family. That’s another aspect of any good satire. Do you remember any good satire that you have read in any language? In English, you may try Jerome K Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat’. It’s one of my favourites…

The Directness:

And then, the author puts forward examples directly to prove his own point, that cats have more character than most of the human beings. So now he tells us how the cat goes out of the house as ‘the shades of evening fall’, gathers his gang and gets ready for business. He chooses to be explicit in his way of proving his own point now...

Unit-3

4th Paragraph

Let’s continue reading the text:

Just think how much more he gets out of his life than you do out of yours! And the sports they have, too! As they get older they go in for sport to the suburban backyards. These backyards that are dull to us, are to them hunting grounds where they have more gallant adventure than King Arthur's knights ever had.

The Concluding Note:

Cats Get More out of Their Lives:

Do you note his direct approach once again? ‘Just think…’ - he is being very direct in his approach now. And he returns once again to his previous standpoint that a cat gets more charm/fun/thrill out of his life than we get from ours. They get the chance to play more games and have more sports in their lives. 

What sport do you have in your lives? Your classroom sessions?

And what happens when you grow older? You join a college as you leave your school. Right? Do you think that’s more fun?

Cats And You:

Cats, when they are young, they go out on the roof of an empty shed in the locality as it grows dark. While you struggle with your hometasks, all alone at your desk, they have some adventure out there with their gang/kindred. As you grow older, you join a college to get more hometasks [yes dear, you check this out later], more enough to ruin your weekends as well. Cats, on the other hand, get the scope to travel further to the suburban [at the outskirts of a city/town] backyards [junkyard, where the city/town [adjective: urban] people dump their waste and discarded objects].

Their Favourite Hunting Ground:

Do you feel those cats too dumb to go to those dumpyards? Well, that’s just a human perspective. That’s how you feel about the suburban backyards. Don’t you remember Tom and his street[cat]-friends enjoying their own moments rummaging up the waste bins and hunting around the local dumpyards from the ‘Tom And Jerry Shows’? 

These backyards that are dull [not interesting] to us, are to them [the cats] hunting grounds [favourite ground full of fun and thrill] where they have more gallant [bold] adventure than King Arthur's knights [brave soldiers who undertook many adventures on behalf of King Arthur and his kingdom] ever had. 

King Arthur’s Knights

Don’t you understand the comparison between those cats and King Arthur’s Knights? I’m sure you already know who the knights were from your history classes. They were brave soldiers who dared to risk their lives in adventures which others would have avoided. King Arthur was the first king who united the different tribes and established the state of England. He and his faithful knights had fought many brave battles and risked their lives numerous times. The author thinks that these cats enjoy even more thrill and adventure out there in the suburban backyards than those brave knights serving King Arthur.

Unit-3

5th Paragraph

Let’s continue reading the text:

It is always spoken as a reproach against cats that they are more fond of their home than of the people in it. Naturally, the cat doesn't like to leave his country, the land where all his friends are, and where he knows every landmark. Exiled in a new land, he would have to learn a new geography. So, when the family moves, the cat, if allowed, will stay at the old house and attach himself to the new tenants. He will give them the privilege of boarding him while he enjoys life in his own way.

Blame Them:

Cats are often reproached [accused ] for loving [being fond of] their home [the building where they stay] more than the people in it [the family the cats stay with]. Do you feel that the author too feels the same way? Is he being spiteful [unkind] against the cats?

The Author’s Standpoint:

No, to be sure. Don’t you see how he begins the very next sentence [the second sentence of the paragraph]? He begins with ‘Naturally’, that is to say, he thinks this to be ‘normal’. He is not blaming the cats for loving the home more than the people in it.

But why do the cats favour the building more than the people who keep them?

The Natural/Normal Reason:

Yes, it is so because the locality is his country. All his kindred stay there. He knows every landmark [any sign that helps you to identify/locate an address] there. If he gets exiled [driven away] from his own land, he has to learn the details of the new place afresh. Don’t you feel he has to develop relations with the cats already staying over at the place anew as well?

Did you feel very happy if you had to, ever in your life, change your school, leaving your favourite corners to hang around with your favourite mates? How did you feel when you joined a new school, and entered a new classroom with a bunch of new, unknown fellow-students? And am I not being too generous by not asking you about your feelings you had as you met your new teachers then?

But did you have any other choice? Sadly, no. If you had to change, you simply had to. Even if your parents were generous enough to offer you a stay at some hostel in the old neighbourhood, you didn’t stay. Was it not more difficult to stay without your parents, or the people in the family? But, we are already told that cats have got more ‘character’ than us.

Cats Have More Character Than Us

So, when the family moves [goes away to some other place], the cat, if allowed [if not taken with, but left behind] by the family, will stay at the old house and attach [grow a relation] himself to the new tenants [new boarders in the old house]. He will give them the privilege [honour/pleasure] of boarding [keeping, that is to say, providing him with food and shelter] him while he enjoys life in his own way.

Who owns/keeps a cat then?

Don’t you feel the above question is asked the wrong way?

Yes, it is a mistake to ask like that… It is the cat who ultimately allows people to keep him while he enjoys life in his own way with his gang in his own hunting grounds. And ironically, most of the people feel they are the ‘unitelligent’ animals who need to be taken care of.

Rather, we should ask,- Whom does the cat allow to own/keep him? Is it not so?

Who do you think are the foolish ones, finally?

The Conclusion:

Before we conclude, what did you get from the text, a discussion about cats in general, or a tale about some particular cat?

Not a tale, of course… Do you find any so-called ‘plot’ of action here? No…

Did you find the discussion organised like an essay? Yes, it is… It is an essay, but the argument proceeds through real life observations and touch of subtle humour. Hence, it is a pleasant experience to read the essay. Would you like to compare this essay with the one you had read on cats during your early childhood days? It usually began with ‘The cat is a domestic animal. It has four legs and a long tail…’, right? All bare facts, and directly told. You didn’t get any chance to pause and think there. But here, you get the chance to pause, think, and laugh at things hinted at. And you also learn to get your thoughts organised following a pattern: you start with your own observation [making it strikingly different from the common observations by contradicting them], give us examples [choose wisely for you have many] and validate your observation. Simple, but neat, isn’t it?

Comprehension Exercises [Post-reading Activities, Unit-3]:

7. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

a. The cat saunters down his own

i. courtyard 

ii. front yard 

iii. backyard 

iv. shipyard

b. The cat skips to the roof of an empty

i. room 

ii. shade 

iii. floor 

iv. corridor

c. Exiled in a new land, the cat would have to learn new

i. history 

ii. manners 

iii. culture 

iv. geography

8. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

a. When the family gathers round the fire, the cat ___________________.

b. The cat droops his head nearly to his paws and __________________.

c. Cats go for sport to the suburban backyards as __________________.

9. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

Cause	Effect
a. The cat has many enemies.
b.	The cat stretches himself a few times.
c. The cat knows his friends and every landmark.

Answer key:

7. a. iii. backyard

7. b ii. shade

7. c. iv. geography

8. a. the cat casually goes out of the room.

8. b. sends across a call to his kindred.

8. c. they get older.

9. a. Effect: He looks keenly from side to side and moves noiselessly.

9. b. Cause: The cat wants to see if his muscles are in full working order.

9. c. Effect: He doesn’t like to leave his country.

Further Reading for Pleasure:

Advanced learners with matured minds may go through the original text to find more fun, and to be more critical about the author’s perspective [Here in the adapted text above, you are presented with a much more sober text, and hence, a much more sober author.]:

http://www.telelib.com/authors/P/PatersonAB_Banjo/prose/ThreeElephantPower/thecat.html