This is interesting

[m_cobweb]

From the Workman Page-a-Day cat calendar:
"The disturbing expression “Curiosity killed the cat” started out in the 16th century as “Care killed the cat,” meaning that too much stress can do you in."

Of course, that detracts from the second part of the current expression: Anticipation brought him back.

I suppose now when I tell the kitties that curiosity killed the you-know-what, they'll reply that they aren't stressed at all and should be just fine.

Comments

[icebluenothing.livejournal.com]

Huh -- I always heard that one as, "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back."

[vulture23.livejournal.com]

I've somehow formed the (entirely spurious) conclusion that the second half of the saying is of much more recent vintage than the first part -- that is, after being told many times about curiosity killing cats, some wag came up with that rejoinder and made it popular enough that the two are inextricably linked.

It's a curious evolution of the saying, though, to morph from "care" to "curiosity" -- especially in reference to cat behavior, it seems that accidents are much more likely from too little caution than too much...

[icebluenothing.livejournal.com]

I echo your suspicion; I've had the same feeling about it.

[m-cobweb.livejournal.com]

Oops! That should have been "anticipation." Still not "satisfaction," though.

::swims off to edit::

And they did mean that "care" was "stress," of course--you know, cares and woe, all that. Since cats are so often stressed and all. ::snork::