Your say - Lost for words 3l126w
Cat killer 6x6ko
While I was once visiting a friend in for coffee and cake, her cat jumped into my lap and curled itself into a ball and went to sleep. When we had finished eating my friend asked me if I would like to go for a walk. I responded by telling her yes, but that leider muss ich jetzt den Kater zerstören. She looked at me in alarm and then began laughing hysterically. Apparently I had informed her that I was going to destroy her cat. I should have used the verb stören which means 'to disturb', and not zerstören which means 'to destroy'. We're still laughing about it two years later.
Sent by: Deborah
Comments 682840
That is the funniest story! Thanks so much for making me laugh till the tears ran down my face...I really needed that today!
Kater means 'male cat', Katze means 'cat' in general, male or female.
"To have a tom-cat" can also mean "to have a hangover": Einen Kater haben.
I used to laugh when I read Katerpille, which literally means hangover pill, but made me think of 'caterpillar'!
I one year in when my mum informed our relatives that while we were on holiday, our friend would feed the cat. When our relatives starting laughing, she realised she'd said our friend would eat the cat: die Katze futtern rather than die Katze füttern.
I find my name causes great hilarity anytime I visit or Austria!
I've always known the German word for 'cat' to be Katze, not Kater. Can Kater be used instead of Katze?
Editor's note: Kater is 'tom cat'.
Katze means a member of the species or a female of this species, Kater is always male, so you can/should only use Kater if you know that the animal is male.
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