It refers to the importance of developing a good relationship between father and son (emphasis mine) She wrote the words for the song for their son Joshua before he was born. The song was actually written by Chapin's wife Sandy, a poet and a writer. The expression was made popular by a song by Harry Chapin. Note: this answer is now completely rewritten after Jason C noticed problems with the Wikipedia article that I had originally referenced. The superstition itself is older, with print sightings of it recorded from 16, so that 1791 verdict should be viewed with the realization that the jury was probably influenced by a snippet of “everybody knows” lore when it came time to explain a death for which there was no apparent cause.

In 1791 a jury at a coroner’s inquest in England rendered a verdict to the effect that a Plymouth child had met his death by a cat sucking out its breath. This theory is of far more recent coinage than the bit of lore it purports to explain, though, coming into fashion no earlier than the 20th century (while the “smother” belief dates to at least the 1700s). No longer the center of attention, the neglected pet is allegedly capable of setting about to get rid of what it sees as the usurper.

Put more simply, unless the cat has been taught to like milk, it generally won’t seek out that substance on its own.)Īnother theory advanced as to why a cat would want to harm a baby relates to the jealousy the pet will supposedly experience when the little bundle from heaven is brought into the household. (Given free choice between plain water and a bowl of milk, cats generally head for the water unless milk has been the only liquid offered to them from weaning onwards. It is said the smell of milk on the child’s breath draws the feline in for the kill, but anyone who has been around housecats knows the average moggie doesn’t much care for the liquid. The idea that a cat could suck the breath of an infant is simply a misguided notion - cats just don’t do that. discusses an (obviously untrue) urban myth about cats smothering new born babies, so cat is in the cradle may be a reference to that old wives tale, with the implication that a cat in the cradle is dangerous and implies the baby is forgotten and neglected.ĬLAIM: Cats suck the breath from babies, sometimes killing them.

Cat in the kettle silver moon