On the night before departure, cat notified his pal, rat, and they agreed that the one waking up first in the next morning must awake the other, departing for the meeting together. However, rat broke his promise and arrived at the meeting alone. Then, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig arrived one after another. When cat woke up and hurried there, the meeting was over. It is said that is the reason why cat resents rat and kills rat.
Chinese astrology argues that one's personality profile can be revealed form one's birth time.
However, Chinese zodiac is based on year rather than the western system based on month. In China everybody knows which animal sign he or she is born under. Rat was the first animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle. It is usually considered aggressive, ambitious, suspicious, and power-hungry, honest, generous, quick to anger and prone to spend freely. Those born under the sign of Rat are imaginative, charming, and truly generous to the one they love.