March 4, 2026, 4:59 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit—can you name all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac? Most people only realize after a second thought that one is missing: the cat. Ironically, this global icon between living rooms and the internet never made it into the twelve-year cycle. Yet, its chances supposedly weren’t bad.
In the Chinese calendar, each year is named after an animal, to which certain traits are attributed. Around the New Year festival, much is said about dragons, horses, or monkeys—but few know how this order came about. And that’s where the story of a fateful decision begins. The fact that the cat is left out today has nothing to do with a lack of popularity—but with betrayal, ambition, and a race that changed everything.
Why the Cat Should Actually Be Included
We mentally travel back to a time long past and dive into the story of an equally old legend. The legend is explained differently by various sources. PETBOOK recounts one of the most popular versions.
The Gathering or “The Great Race”
In the time we are in, there was a major problem: there was no calculation of time. To counter this, the Jade Emperor (Yù Dì), the highest deity in Daoism, called for a gathering (called “Shengxiao” in Chinese) of the animals. Among them, he wanted to select twelve to assign them each a year. From this, a numbering system was to be developed that could repeat and help with precise dating. 1, 2
Many animals were invited to the gathering, including the cat. The cat had a good friend, none other than the rat. On the eve of the great gathering, the cat, fearing it would oversleep, asked the rat to wake it up the next morning. The rat intended to fulfill this request out of good friendship. The next day, the rat woke up in the early morning hours and was about to wake the cat as promised. But things took a different turn: before the rat could wake the cat, it began to ponder. The cat is naturally faster than the rat and might be chosen by the Jade Emperor first. After all, it was also about being the first to stand before him. So what to do? 3
Instead of waking the cat, the rat decided to go to the gathering alone. And not only that: as it was about to set off, the fast ox came by. The rat didn’t think twice and jumped on the back of the large animal. To its luck, the ox was the fastest animal so far and was confident it would be the first to reach the Jade Emperor. But it hadn’t counted on the cunning rat. As the finish line was within reach, the rat made a big leap and landed as the first animal at the finish.
When the cat got wind of this, it was filled with incredible rage. According to legend, this is why cats chase rats to this day.
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Why the Rooster Crows After the Dragon
This legend not only includes the eternal chase of the cat after the rat but also an explanation of why there are no more dragons and why the rooster crows with all its might in the early morning to wake us up.
As the cat spoke with the rat the night before, the dragon and the rooster also had a conversation. Until then, the dragon had a rather bare head, while the rooster could display its comb. The dragon found this comb so enchanting that it wanted it for itself and asked the rooster if it could borrow it for the gathering and the race. The rooster agreed, and so both ran as one of the first twelve animals to the finish.
Afterward, the rooster rightfully wanted its beautiful comb back. But the dragon had no intention of returning it and wanted to keep it for itself. To escape the rooster, it submerged in the sea forever. Plagued by anger, the rooster has since cried out every morning with all its might for the dragon to finally get its comb back.
Pursued by Misfortune–But Not Forgotten Everywhere
As with many old legends, there are different versions of this tale. Sometimes it’s not the rat’s envy but simple forgetfulness that costs the cat its place. In other stories, it chooses the wrong path or crosses the wrong river and simply arrives too late for the gathering. The constant remains: the rat reaches its goal—and the cat is left out. This is how its ongoing chase is mythologically explained.
However, it hasn’t completely disappeared from the East Asian calendar: in the Vietnamese zodiac, the cat replaces the rabbit and secures its place in the twelve-year cycle. So perhaps it’s not the forgotten animal—just in the wrong calendar.