The Cat and the Mice

In a warm, cozy little house, there lived a clever cat named Whiskers. Whiskers loved to chase mice, but the little creatures were always too quick for her. One sunny afternoon, she came up with a sneaky plan to catch them. “I’ll pretend to be dead!” she thought, curling up in a corner and lying very still.

At first, her trick worked perfectly! The unsuspecting mice, thinking she was harmless, crept closer and closer, eager to investigate. “What a foolish cat!” they whispered to each other, giggling with excitement. But just as Whiskers was about to spring into action, something unexpected happened. The mice began to grow wise to her game.

They started watching her from a distance, whispering and chattering about how they’d seen her trick before. They decided to stay away, snickering at the cat’s failed attempt. Whiskers felt a little sad but realized that her plan was no longer working. She had been caught in her own game!

With a sigh, she thought to herself, “Maybe pretending isn’t the best way to catch my dinner.” So, the next time she felt hungry, she decided to play fair and use her speed and skills instead. She learned that honesty was the best policy, and sometimes it’s better to be true to yourself.

Moral:

Learn from experience.

Additional Lessons:

• Wisdom: Whiskers learns that using trickery doesn’t always work, and experience teaches her to approach things differently in the future.
• Honesty: By realizing that pretending isn’t the best way to catch the mice, Whiskers decides to be true to her nature and use her own skills.

Parenting Tip: Help your child understand the importance of honesty and adapting to challenges. Discuss how Whiskers learned from her experience and decided to rely on her natural skills instead of tricks, reinforcing the value of perseverance and fairness.

Fun Questions For Curious Kids

• Why do you think Whiskers pretended to be dead?
• How did the mice figure out that Whiskers was tricking them?
• If you were one of the mice, what would you do to stay safe?
• What do you think Whiskers learned from her experience?
• Have you ever tried a plan that didn’t work out? What did you learn from it?
• Why do you think the mice were giggling when they saw through Whiskers’ plan?
• If you were Whiskers, what would you try next to catch the mice?
• Can you think of a time when being honest worked out better for you than pretending?

Did You Know? Fun Facts About Cats and Mice!

1. Cats are natural hunters! Cats have sharp senses of hearing and sight, making them excellent hunters, especially at night.
2. Mouse whiskers are amazing! Like cats, mice use their whiskers to feel their way around, especially in the dark.
3. Cats “chirp” at prey. Have you ever heard a cat make a funny chirping sound? That’s how they express excitement when they see something they want to catch!
4. Mice are super fast! A mouse can run up to 8 miles per hour, making them tricky for predators to catch.
5. Cats can jump high! Cats can leap up to six times their body length in a single bound—perfect for pouncing!
6. Mice have great memory. Mice can remember pathways and tricks, which is why they outsmarted Whiskers in the story.
7. Cats and humans have a long history. Cats have been living alongside humans for nearly 10,000 years, helping to keep homes free of pests like mice.
8. Teamwork saves mice! In the wild, mice often communicate using high-pitched sounds to warn each other of danger.

Activity Idea:

“Mouse Maze Adventure!”

1. Materials: Paper, markers, and small toys (like toy mice or cats).
2. Instructions:
   • Draw a maze on a piece of paper, with a starting point (the cat’s corner) and an end (the mice’s hideout).
   • Challenge your child to guide the toy mouse through the maze without getting caught by the cat!
   • This activity reinforces problem-solving and spatial awareness.

Download Free Coloring Pages Related To This Story

Bring the story to life with coloring pages designed to spark creativity and make story time even more fun. Coloring helps kids express their creativity, improve focus, and reinforce the story’s themes in a fun, engaging way. After reading together, let them bring the story to life with colors!

Click on any of the free coloring pages below to download or print it!