A red-and-white Siberian Forest Cat; Lisabeta the vixen managed to con the wolf and the bear into thinking that her new husband, a one-eared old tomcat, was just such a lordly beast. Harrison Weir, the pioneering English cat enthusiast, mentioned Siberians back in 1871, but in Russia they are believed to have been the mousers-in-chief at monasteries for hundreds of years, agile enough to patrol the rafters, fierce enough to deal with most intruders, aloof but loyal. They can be found in all sorts of colours, tabby, tortoiseshell, bi-colour and smokey grey.
Part 1 of 2
ONCE upon a time, a peasant decided that his ginger cat, a battle-scarred mouser with one ear, was not the sort of pet to be seen with. So he popped old Tom in a sack, and dumped him in the forest.
Tom clawed his way out of his sack, and set off to explore his new world. On his way, he met Lisabeta, a pretty little vixen who thought one-eared Tom quite the handsomest creature in the woods; and as Lisabeta was an excellent cook who let a fellow stay in bed and wash his whiskers, they were soon married.
Lisabeta was out poaching chickens next morning when she met a wolf, full of congratulations. ‘When do I meet the lucky fellow?’ he asked, but the vixen dared not disturb Tom. ‘Cat Ivanovitch (for so he called himself) is come from Siberia to be our Head Forester. Perhaps if you presented His Excellency with a sheep?’ suggested Lisabeta sweetly. The wolf, much impressed, promised he would.
Précis
A scarred and one-eared tom cat was discarded by his owner in the woods. There he met a vixen, and the two made a home together. The vixen told a wolf that her new husband was the new Head Forester ‘Cat Ivanovitch’, and that if the wolf wanted a quick peek he must bring a sheep as a gift. (59 / 60 words)
Part Two
A vixen (female fox; the male is a dog fox) at the British Wildlife Centre at Newchapel, Surrey. Old Tom’s dizzy rise from discarded mouser to Head Forester in this Russian folktale can be attributed to the single-minded ambition of Lisabeta the vixen, who with a little careful planning managed to get herself a lifetime supply of fresh meat and protection from the bear and the wolf.
A BEAR was the next to congratulate the bride. ‘Who’s the lucky fellow?’ he growled. ‘Bring His Excellency an ox,’ teased Lisabeta, ‘and perhaps you’ll see!’
Soon sheep and ox lay ready, nicely skinned, outside Lisabeta’s earth. ‘You knock’ whispered the wolf. ‘No, you knock’ replied the bear. So they frightened a hare into knocking for them, while the bear climbed a tree, and the wolf hid beneath some leaves.
Tom ambled out, found the meat, and set to. ‘What an appetite!’ groaned the bear. ‘Such teeth and claws!’ whimpered the wolf, and the leaf-pile shivered. Tom spied it, and thinking ‘Mouse!’ he pounced joyfully. The leaves yelped, and something grey shot out. At the same instant, Tom shrieked, and raced for the treetops. ‘Alas!’ wailed the bear, ‘he has seen me!’ and crashed down through the branches, to vanish far into the wood.
Since that day, all the creatures of the wood have lived in awe of old Tom, their Head Forester, and they leave fresh meat at Lisabeta’s door each morning. But they still make the quivering little hare knock.
Précis
Both a wolf and a bear brought food for Cat Ivanovitch, hoping for a sneak peek at him; but as they lay hidden, Tom pounced on the terrified wolf, thinking he was a mouse, and then gave such a shriek of surprise that he frightened the bear too. And so the fearsome Tom was acknowledged by all as Head Forester. (60 / 60 words)
