The Man from Daraban

Have you heard about the man
Who lives just south of Daraban.
He had a problem with some rats
He now has forty seven cats.
At least that was the number when
He counted yesterday, but then
It very well could now be more
He never really knows for sure.

How it happened he never knew
He only meant to have few
It started off with one ore two
And then it sort of grew and grew.
Now, many people it is true
Would simply not know what do.
But this many catted man
Who lived just south of Daraban.
Went to see the local vets
To ask about his many pets.

The vets all said “This isn’t funny
And it will cost you lots of money
For we will have to operate
And change the reproductive state
Of all your cats as we’ll be trying
To stop them all from multiplying”.
The man said “Yes I do believe
That this is what we must achieve.
We’d better start it very soon
So I’ll come back this afternoon”.

And so this conscientious man
Who lived just south of Daraban
Went home to see how he could plan
And maybe re-design his van
For he had never tried before
And really wasn’t very sure
How forty-seven feline pets
Could be transported to the vets.
Well, eight in the front and then maybe
A few could sit upon his knee
Then in the back he’d put a mix
Of maybe twenty-five or six.

Upon the roof rack six or more
Adds up to over forty-four,
And then the rest outside the car
Could hang onto the bumper bar.
At last he got them all squeezed in
And set off with a cheerful grin.

But soon as he picked up some pace
There were suddenly cats all over the place.
There were cats in the air and cats on the ground,
Cats flying and running around and around.
They climbed up his back and they sat on his head
And made enough screeching to waken the dead

So he put on the brake and got out of the van
And decided he needed a different plan.
But no matter how often he juggled them all
And moved them about; it was no use at all.
As soon as he started to move down the road
The cat situation would once more explode.
Till at last he decided to ring up the vets
And explain that he couldn’t deliver his pets.

They told him that it was all right and they said
They would come out and see him tomorrow instead.

The whole of the next day was terribly busy
And all cats and vets were increasingly dizzy
By the time that the overworked very tired vets
Had succeeded in fixing the man’s many pets.

And now this exceedingly much poorer man
Who lives just a bit south of far Daraban
Was also much wiser by far as he knew
On future occasions what he had to do.
Before he increased his collection of pets.
HE’D MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO VISIT THE VETS.