Rudyard Kipling used to tell his daughter stories like "How did the camel get his hump?" The stories end with a poem as a summary. This one tells us why many people prefer dogs to cats.

The cat that walked by himself

by Rudyard Kipling

Pussy can sit by the fire and sing,
Pussy can climb a tree,
Or play with a silly old cork and string
To 'muse herself, not me.
But I like Binkie my dog, because
He knows how to behave;
So, Binkie's the same as the First Friend was,
And I am the Man in the Cave!

Pussy will play man-Friday till
It's time to wet her paw
And make her walk on the window-sill
(For the footprint Crusoe saw);
Then she fluffles her tail and mews,
And scratches and won't attend.
But Binkie will play whatever I choose,
And he is my true First Friend!

Pussy will rub my knees with her head
Pretending she loves me hard;
But the very minute I go to my bed
Pussy runs out in the yard,
And there she stays till the morning-light;
So I know it is only pretend;
But Binkie, he snores at my feet all night,
And he is my Firstest Friend!

【小编点评】怎么样，是不是被诗里的猫咪和狗狗萌到了呢？猫咪Pussy总是自顾自地玩耍，还会假装讨好主人，主人可不上当，他知道Pussy只是为了她自己高兴！相比之下，小狗Binkie就乖顺多了，他总是知道该怎么做，总是听主人的话，在主人睡着时整夜守在旁边……Rudyard Kipling说他更喜欢Binkie，你的意见呢？

Rudyard Kipling（1865~1936，中文译名：拉迪亚德·吉卜林）是英国小说家、诗人，出生于印度孟买。他早年的诗集《机关打油诗》、短篇小说集《山的故事》《三个士兵》等风格清新自然，生动展现了印度的风土人情，曾使当时英国读者耳目一新。后来的动物故事《丛林之书》、长篇小说《基姆》更给他赢来世界声誉。马克·吐温曾盛赞吉卜林的作品：“我了解吉卜林的书……它们对于我从来不会变得苍白，它们保持着缤纷的色彩；它们永远是新鲜的。”由于“观察的能力、新颖的想象、雄浑的思想和杰出的叙事才能”，他于1907年获得诺贝尔文学奖，成为英国第一位获此奖的作家。

The cat that walked by himself 本是英国一个童话故事的名字（故事内容可参考听写酷文章：http://app.hujiang.com/listen/30552/），Man in the Cave也来自这个故事。而man-Friday、Crusoe则出自《鲁滨孙漂流记》。