Domestication and Civilization

The Cat That Walked by Himself negotiates a place in the domestic sphere while maintaining his independence, and the Woman tames wild animals through bargains and magic, exploring the transition from wildness to domesticity.

The chapter explores how wild animals become tame through the Woman's magic and bargains, contrasting the Cat's refusal to fully submit.

Domestication and Civilization is one of the patterns Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling returns to. The chapter notes above are from this edition’s companions — open those chapters to see how the book stages the idea rather than treating the theme as a slogan.