A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

The returning cat is an uncanny helper in Amando Clemente’s Tagalog tale of Juan the Poor. Juan has lost a wishing-stone to a witch acting for a defeated general; his wife and father-in-law have vanished with the theft. Crossing three mountains on his way to the enemy, he is knocked down by a cat on each mountain. Twice he kills it against a rock. The story expressly identifies the third attacker as the same cat, but gives no mechanism for its returns. This time he captures it and carries it in a bag.

The general recognizes Juan despite his claim to be a beggar and confines him in a dark cell of rats. Released from the bag, the cat kills the rats until their king emerges. It then speaks, threatening the survivor unless he retrieves Juan’s stone. The rat king brings the charm from the general’s table. Juan uses it to destroy his enemy’s castle and free his family, taking both the cat and rat king home. The tale ends with his eventual kingship. The cat is not described as a grateful rescued pet, and its repeated returns are not generalized into a fixed number of lives.

Same cat returns after two killingsCarried in a bagKills prison ratsSpeaks to compel the rat kingReturns home with the rescued family
01

Origins & earliest records

Philippines; Amando Clemente, identified as Tagalog; heard from his aunt

02

Records & interpretation

Complete tale and shared comparative notes read in the retained 1921-edition transcription.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Filipino Popular Tales

    Dean S. Fansler, collector and editor; source: Amando Clemente, identified as Tagalog; heard from his aunt · 1921

    Tale 10b, Juan the Poor, Who became Juan the King; full main account and shared notes through p. 89. Contents place 10a at p. 79 and 10b at p. 81; transcription duplicates a p. 82 marker near their boundary, so chapter anchors are preferred here.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Complete main variant and entire shared notes inspected

Dean S. Fansler, Filipino Popular Tales (American Folk-Lore Society, 1921)

Part I, Hero Tales and Drolls. Tale 10b, Juan the Poor, Who became Juan the King; shared notes through p. 89

Cache fansler-10.txt and master fansler1921.html. Amando Clemente, identified as Tagalog; heard from his aunt. Both full main variants read; Edmundo only a supplied synopsis, not independently collated original. TOC starts 10b at81 but transcription labels a preceding page82 as well; no scan-page correction asserted.

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References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical collected folktaleFansler, tale 10b, Juan the Poor, Who became Juan the KingResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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