Hundreds of mice lived in a very large house. They would frolic about, easily filling their bellies, and whenever they sensed danger, they would scurry back into their burrows to hide. One day, out of nowhere, a cat appeared in the house.
The moment the cat laid eyes on the mice, her mouth began to water. With the intention of feasting on them, the cat decided to make that very house her home.
Whenever the cat felt hungry, she would hide in a dark corner; the instant a mouse emerged from its burrow, she would pounce, kill it, and devour it. Before long, the cat began making a daily meal of the mice.
Consequently, within just a few days, she grew plump and well-fed.
The arrival of the cat plunged the mice into misery. As they watched their numbers dwindle day by day, they became terrified.
The fear of the cat took deep root in their minds. To devise a strategy for their survival, all the mice gathered together and convened a meeting. During the assembly, each mouse presented their ideas, but not a single proposal could be passed unanimously.
A sense of despair spread throughout the group.
Then, an elderly mouse stood up and spoke: "Brothers, listen! I have a suggestion—one that, if implemented, could provide a solution to our problem. If we could somehow procure a small bell and a piece of string, we could tie the bell around the cat's neck. Whenever the cat moves, the bell tied to her neck will begin to ring.
The sound of the bell would serve as a warning signal for us. The moment we hear the ringing, we can be on our guard and retreat into our respective burrows to hide."
Upon hearing this suggestion from the old mouse, all the mice were overjoyed; to express their delight, they began to dance and sing.
The mice believed that they would now be liberated from the cat forever and would once again be able to roam about without fear.
Just then, a seasoned, experienced mouse spoke up: "Silence! You are all fools."
"You are celebrating as if you have won a war. Have you considered that until a bell is tied around the cat's neck, we cannot truly be free from it?"
Upon hearing the words of the experienced mouse, all the other mice sat there with crestfallen faces.
They had no answer to the experienced mouse's question.
Just then, they heard the sound of the cat approaching, and in a panic, all the mice scurried back into their respective burrows.