If you answered, Quack , you're one of us. Be of good cheer. It won't be much longer now. This was supposed to be mainly about cats, because that's what the clockwork cat is. Cats don't have much time for public speaking, so they have an agreement with the ducks.
Ducks enjoy social gatherings and long chat sessions.
That's why they invented computers and the internet. I'll bet you didn't know that last part, about what the ducks invented. That's because ducks are excellent psychoanalysts. The ducks agreed to let humans take credit for inventing computers and the internet, because it builds human self-esteem. Anyway, cats and ducks have an agreement, so that's why ducks are so important here.