33. The Vulture and the Cat
A vulture, old and nearly blind, lived in a tree hollow.
The other birds pitied the vulture and fed him, and he looked after their chicks.
A cat approached the tree, but the vulture squawked, "No food for you here, cat!"
"I follow the spiritual path," replied the cat. "I no longer eat meat. I seek only to learn from elders like yourself."
Flattered, the vulture began preaching.
Meanwhile, the cat ate the chicks, carefully depositing their bones in the vulture's hollow.
The cat then left, and when the birds found the bones, they attacked the vulture and killed him.
Inspired by: Hitopadesha, or, The Book of Good Counsel translated by B. Hale-Wortham
Notes: It is in Book 1, Story 4.
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