bᵻwˈɛɹ ðə kˈæt, ɹˈɪʔn̩ ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti θɹˈiː ænd fˈɜːst pˈʌblɪʃt ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn, nˈoʊn æz ðə fˈɜːst hˈɔɹɚ fˈɪkʃən tˈɛkst lˈɔŋɡɚ ðˌænə ʃˈɔːɹt stˈoːɹi ænd pˈɑːsᵻbli ðə fˈɜːst nˈɑːvəl ɔːɹ nɑːvˈɛlə ˈɛvɚ pˈʌblɪʃt ɪn ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ, kəntˈeɪnz tˈuː tɹɐdˈɪʃənəl tˈeɪlz ɐbˌaʊt kˈæts, wˌɪtʃ ɐpˈɪɹ ɪn sˈɪmɪlɚ fˈɔːɹmz bˈoʊθ bᵻfˌoːɹ ænd ˈæftɚɹ ɪts pˌʌblɪkˈeɪʃən; ʌvwˈɪtʃ "ðə kˈɪŋ ʌvðə kˈæts" ɪz ɐ nˈoʊɾəbəl ɛɡzˈæmpəl.
Beware the Cat, written in 1553 and first published in 1561, known as the first horror fiction text longer than a short story and possibly the first novel (or novella) ever published in English, contains two traditional tales about cats, which appear in similar forms both before and after its publication; of which "The King of the Cats" is a notable example.