Cards
Chinese New Year 4715 • Void Cat
2017-01-28
While researching the Chinese zodiac series, I discovered something surprising. There were actually thirteen zodiac animals! There was a cat in the race to the Heavenly Gate too! So why isn't it part of the calendar?
The cat and rat were best friends, living together it would seem. Two versions of the story seem to persist: the rat was to wake the cat and forgot in his hurry, causing the cat to miss the race, or the rat pushed the cat into the river, again, causing her to get there too late.
Either way, the cat missed her chance to get a place in the Chinese calendar and has ever since despised the rat, hence them being enemies to this day.
Since our cat has no place on the calendar, she doesn't get any of the five elements, so is trapped with nothingness, the void. With no Heavenly Stem or Earthly Branch either, she stands in silent protest in resistance to the emperor of the kingdom.
China is an ancient country and has counted years longer than most. Though there is some debate, the oldest reckoning of years would make this year 4715. In protest, every year is the year of the Void Cat.