Just as the Jade Emperor declared the final results to close the day's proceedings, the careless Cat huffed its way across the finish line. It immediately inquired about the position it had finished. The Jade Emperor gravely shook his head and informed the Cat that it was too late and had not made it into the top 12. Extremely angered by the result, the Cat turned on the Rat with its sharp claws, accusing it of not waking the Cat up for the race as promised. The Rat immediately scurried away to save its own life.
As a result of this little drama, though the Rat made it into first place in the Chinese Zodiac, it would spend most of its time hiding from the Cat in dark holes or ceiling beams, fearing the Cat's vengeance.