Dwalin2010 Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Have been thinking lately: why are cats usually portrayed as "bad guys" in opposition to mice and dogs in children's fiction? Just because mice are weaker and dogs are obedient to humans? Unfair, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anacybele Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 (edited) It's perfectly fair to me. Dogs are commonly called man's best friend and a lot of rescue stories feature them rescuing people. Not to say cats can't save someone (I've certainly seen stories about cats being heroic), but dogs have just been known to do it more often, and that reflects in fiction. Cats just plain make good villains too, imo. lol I also think dogs are far superior animals to cats, but that's just an opinion. Edited September 8, 2014 by Anacybele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricaofRenais Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 I'm not sure why but one series where there are good and bad cats is the Redwall Abby series which is really good, in redwall there is a good cat and in mossflower there is one bad cat and one good cat. The Warriors series has good cats in it as well, maybe it is more the older stories while the newer ones tend to be more balanced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 (edited) Cats are portrayed that way largely because of the things they've been associated with in our history, I would think. In the middle ages, cats were painted, by Christians, as "magical" creatures that served as partners to witches or were their familiars, and that they could "see the afterlife" or were somehow related to it and Satan/the devil. They came to the conclusion that cats were unnatural because they were not subservient to humans as dogs were, defying the belief that "man has dominion over animals". They ended up wiping out masses of cats (as middle-age Christians tended to do with problems) to the point where rodent infestation became a huge problem. Which lead to a lot of people dying via food poisoning and the spread of the black plague. I'm pretty sure it was only in the Western world as well (specifically European), because a lot of Eastern cultures seem to have considered them holy animals as opposed to evil. Edited September 8, 2014 by Tangerine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anacybele Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Tangerine makes a good point too. Another example is that here, a black cat is considered bad luck, but I've heard that in Japan, they're considered good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceBrand Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Cats are portrayed that way largely because of the things they've been associated with in our history, I would think. In the middle ages, cats were painted, by Christians, as "magical" creatures that served as partners to witches or were their familiars, and that they could "see the afterlife" or were somehow related to it and Satan/the devil. They came to the conclusion that cats were unnatural because they were not subservient to humans as dogs were, defying the belief that "man has dominion over animals". They ended up wiping out masses of cats (as middle-age Christians tended to do with problems) to the point where rodent infestation became a huge problem. Which lead to a lot of people dying via food poisoning and the spread of the black plague. I'm pretty sure it was only in the Western world as well (specifically European), because a lot of Eastern cultures seem to have considered them holy animals as opposed to evil. Wow. People really did cause their own problems back in the days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwalin2010 Posted September 8, 2014 Author Share Posted September 8, 2014 Ok, but why mice and other rodents are portrayed as "good" then? Just because they are the ones who get eaten by cats, being weaker? But by that logic, dogs often attack cats and usually win, yet nobody portrays them as "bullies" who torment the poor cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 (edited) Ok, but why mice and other rodents are portrayed as "good" then? Just because they are the ones who get eaten by cats, being weaker? But by that logic, dogs often attack cats and usually win, yet nobody portrays them as "bullies" who torment the poor cats. I don't know, you're probably being selective. Rats have a very poor image in the western world, just look at some of the online dictionary descriptions for one: 1. a person regarded as despicable, especially a man who has been deceitful or disloyal. 2. desert one's party, side, or cause. 3. Slang. a scoundrel. 4. rats, Slang. (an exclamation of disappointment, disgust, or disbelief.) In childrens stories I can't even remember how many had rats taking the role of sneaky/suspicious/villainous characters when I was a kid. But it was certainly a lot, lol! As for why other rodents might be portrayed as "good" characters, it probably traces back to our history again, as most things like this tend to. I'm willing to bet Mickey Mouse had a pretty big influence on why mice are liked to this day. Edited September 8, 2014 by Tangerine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwalin2010 Posted September 8, 2014 Author Share Posted September 8, 2014 (edited) I don't know, you're probably being selective. Rats have a very poor image in the western world, just look at some of the online dictionary descriptions for one: 1. a person regarded as despicable, especially a man who has been deceitful or disloyal. 2. desert one's party, side, or cause. 3. Slang. a scoundrel. 4. rats, Slang. (an exclamation of disappointment, disgust, or disbelief.) In childrens stories I can't even remember how many had rats taking the role of sneaky/suspicious/villainous characters when I was a kid. But it was certainly a lot, lol! Well, rats maybe not. But mice surely are portrayed as good, at least in stories I watched or read. It's not like I am being selective on purpose, but maybe I have seen/read too few such works of fiction to be able to portray a global picture. But even after all those years I am still annoyed how Tom defeated Jerry in only ONE episode (with his doppleganger cousin)! In all the rest the annoying rodent gets his triumph. On the other hand I remember a Russian cartoon series "The cat Leopold" about a good cat who wants to be everyone's friend and 2 mice (one grey and one white) who try to annoy him but always end up victims of their own traps. Edited September 8, 2014 by Dwalin2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Person's Name Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 There's good and bad portrayals of a lot of animals, like pigs, birds, spiders, snakes, rabbits whatever. Except horses. Everyone likes ponies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyWalk Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Cats are witty and intelligent apparently, enough so that they start being selfish and doing things for their own purposes. Oh yeah and it's so easy to draw a sinister looking cat from their features, at least stereotypically anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Well you're talking about a kids show about a cat hunting a mouse. The cat is the predator in that situation, the "underdog" will of course be portrayed as the "good guy". Felix the Cat is a cartoon that aired at the same time and portrayed cats in a good light. Other than that, all I can say is that cats have far more varied personalities than mice do, so there is a lot more to work with. Mice are just cute, small and do mice things, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anacybele Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 There's good and bad portrayals of a lot of animals, like pigs, birds, spiders, snakes, rabbits whatever. Except horses. Everyone likes ponies. You haven't watched Racing Stripes then. A zebra is the protagonist and a horse is the antagonist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Alear Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 There's good and bad portrayals of a lot of animals, like pigs, birds, spiders, snakes, rabbits whatever. Except horses. Everyone likes ponies. I guess you've never heard of Bad Horse, the thoroughbred of sin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blugga6 Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Japan has rapist horse(men). Then again, they have rapist dogs, rapist octopi, rapist plants, rapist everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Alear Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Japan has rapist horse(men). Then again, they have rapist dogs, rapist octopi, rapist plants, rapist everything. Oh ya, centaurs are like 1/2 way evil/savage horses in greek mythology, at least sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Person's Name Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Welp, guess I was wrong then! Totally forgot about centaurs too if they count. Well hm, fish... maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magical CC Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 (edited) Tangerine makes a good point too. Another example is that here, a black cat is considered bad luck, but I've heard that in Japan, they're considered good luck. In Viet Nam, having a cat visit your house in the new year day will bring you bad luck for the whole year. However, if a dog visit your house, it will bring good luck. There's a saying in my country, it's: old cat will become ferret, old ferret will become fox and old fox will become demon. It means that the older someone is, the more wise and dangerous he/she becomes. Btw, in some East Asian countries, there are ghost stories about demon horse.... Well hm, fish... maybe? Golden fish...maybe. But when I was a kid, the Moby Dick in Pinocchio scared me so much that I couldnt bring myself to watch that scene again. Edited September 10, 2014 by Magical Amber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.