Cats are generally well thought of in eastern Asia, yet there is an old story that casts the cat in a badlight. According to the story, when the funeral procession of the Buddha passed by, all the animals turned out for mourning—all except the cat, who slept placidly through the whole thing. For this reason the cat was not numbered among the creatures under the Buddha’s protection. In another version of the story, all the animals were called to the bedside of the dying Buddha, but the cat (naturally) was asleep. Still one more version: the dying Buddha stated that the first twelve animals to reach his bedside would be given immortality, but the snoozing cat was not among them.
