Fat Cat Learns to Recycle
Adapted by Rose Owens
In a long-ago time when animals could talk and people could understand them, there lived an old woman and a cat. One day the old woman decided to make some soup.
The cat curled up on the rug in front of the fire to do his favorite thing—take a nap.
“Cat,” said the woman, “I need to go to the market. I want you to watch the soup.”
Cat looked up, yawned and said, “Why should I?”
“Because,” said the old woman, “if you don’t, you won’t get any soup.”
“Well, all right,” said the cat and he went back to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of fat mice and bowls of cream and warm, delicious soup. Soup? Soup! Oh yes! He was supposed to watch the soup. Cat got up and looked at the soup.
“It looks all right.” He stirred the soup.
“It smells all right.” He scooped up a spoonful. “I think,” he said, “that I had better taste it.” Slurp! Slurp! “It tastes all right. But I think I had better check the other side of the pot.” So he tasted and tasted until the soup was all gone. And then that greedy cat ate the pot too! After that he was tired so he went back to sleep.
The old woman came home. “Cat,” she said, “where’s my soup.”
“Well,” said Fat Cat as he licked his mouth, “I was hungry. So I ate it.”
“Where’s the pot?”
“I ate that too,” said the Cat as he licked his mouth again, “and I think,. . . . Oh yes, I think that I shall eat you too.” And he did.
Then that Fat Cat went for a walk and he was a little bit rounder and a little bit fatter. And he met a boy and a girl named Ree and Cycle. They were looking for aluminum cans to recycle. And Ree and Cycle said to that Fat Cat,
Where are you going my little cat.
And why, oh why, are you so fat?
“Well,” said Fat Cat with a greedy grin, “I ate the little old woman. I ate the soup. I ate the pot. And I think. . . Oh yes, I think that I will eat you too.” And he did. And he was a little bit rounder and a little bit fatter.
Fat Cat walked on down the road until he met Miss Pennypincher. Miss Pennypincher was on her way home from the Thrift Store and she was looking for garage sales. She saved money by buying and reusing things that other people no longer wanted. When Miss Pennypincher saw Fat Cat, she said,
Where are you going my little cat?
And why, oh why, are you so fat?
“Well,” said Fat Cat as he rubbed his fat little tummy, “I ate the little old woman. I ate the soup. I ate the pot. I ate Ree and Cycle and I think. . . . Oh yes, I think that I shall eat you too! And he did. And he walked on down the road and he was a little bit rounder and a little bit fatter.
Now who should he meet but Mrs. Reduski. Mrs. Reduski was very creative and very clever. She liked to find ways to reuse things to keep them from being thrown away. Mrs. Reduski looked at Fat Cat and she said:
Where are you going my little cat.
And why, oh why, are you so fat?
“Well,” said Fat Cat as he eyed his next meal, “well, I ate the little old woman.I I at the soup. I ate the pot. I ate Ree and Cycle. I ate Miss Pennypincher. And I think. . . . Oh my, yes, I think that I shall eat you too!” And he did. Now Fat Cat was a little bit rounder and a little bit fatter.
As Fat Cat walked on down the road, he met Mr. Rottenwell. Mr. Rottenwell was raking leaves to put in his compost bin. Mr. Rottenwell was singing to himself. “Leaves and grass will rot, rot, rot. Cardboard and clippings will rot, rot, rot. Then I shall have, oh soon I shall have lovely moist rich soil.” The song didn’t rhyme but Mr. Rottenwell didn’t care about that. When Mr. Rottenwell saw Fat Cat he stopped raking and singing and looked right at him. “Hello, Fat Cat,” he said.
Where are you going my little cat.
And why, oh why, are you so fat?
Fat Cat stopped and looked at Mr. Rottenwell. “Well,” he said, “I ate the little old woman. I ate the soup. I ate the pot. I ate Ree and Cycle. I ate Miss Pennypincher. I ate Mrs. Reduski. And I think. . . . Oh yes, I think that I shall eat you too.” And he did. Now Fat Cat was a little bit rounder and a little bit fatter. He was very pleased with himself as he waddled down the road.
Fat Cat stopped to watch Mr. Handiman who was fixing a fence. Mr. Handiman looked up and said,
Where are you going my little cat.
And why, oh why, are you so fat?
“Well,” Fat Cat said, “I ate the little old woman. I ate the soup. I ate the pot. I ate Ree and Cycle. I ate Miss Pennypincher. I ate Mrs. Reduski. I ate Mr. Rottenwell. And I think. . . . Oh yes, I think that I shall eat you too.”
“Oh, I think not,” said Mr. Handiman. He picked up his hatchet and chopped a hole right in the middle of Fat Cat. And out came Mr. Rottenwell and Mrs. Reduski. Out came Miss Pennypincher. Ree and Cycle came out too. The little old woman came out carrying her pot but the soup was all gone. And Mr. Handiman, being a kind-hearted man and, happening to have a roll of duct tape, he patched that cat back up. Fat Cat had learned his lesson. Now he reuses, recycles, reduces and rots (composts). Eating people is a thing of the past!
Copyright 2006 Rose Owens
Other versions of Fat Cat:
Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale. Jack Kent, Scholastic Books, 1971.
Fat Cat, A Danish Folktale. Retold by Margaret Read
MacDonald, Little House Publishers,
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