stˈiːvən vˈɪnsənt bᵻnˈeɪts nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti nˈaɪn ʃˈɔːɹt stˈoːɹi "ðə kˈɪŋ ʌvðə kˈæts" bˈeɪst ɚɹˈaʊnd ðɪs fˈoʊk stˈoːɹi wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd baɪ ðə lˈaɪbɹɛɹi ʌv ɐmˈɛɹɪkə fɔːɹ ɪŋklˈuːʒən ɪn ɪts tˈuːsˈɛntʃɚɹi ɹˌɛtɹoʊspˈɛktɪv ʌv ɐmˈɛɹɪkən fæntˈæstɪk tˈeɪlz, ˈɛdɪɾᵻd baɪ pˈiːɾɚ stɹˈɔːb.
Stephen Vincent Benét's 1929 short story "The King of the Cats" based around this folk story was selected by The Library of America for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American Fantastic Tales, edited by Peter Straub.