In order to get rid of mice, a man from the state of Zhao acquired a cat skilled at catching them.
This cat not only caught mice but also ate chickens. As a result, the mice in the man's house were eliminated, but very few chickens remained.
His son wanted to get rid of this chicken-eating cat. However, the father said, "It is the mice, not the cat, that are our true bane. The mice steal our food, damage our clothes, drill holes in our walls, and ruin our furniture. If we do not get rid of them, we will suffer from hunger and cold. Therefore, we must eliminate them! Without chickens, we merely lack chicken to eat at worst, but we are far from suffering hunger and cold. So why should we get rid of the cat?"