One of a series of rhyming picture book texts inspired by different locations in Bristol. Click below to hear the audio and scroll down to read the words.

Many thanks to @adam_crowther and @BBCUpload for broadcasting this poem and The Fishponds Toad on BBC Radio Bristol Uploads in Spring 2021.

The St Georges Cat lived in a flat
next to St Georges Park.
He liked going out and prowling about,
especially when it was dark.

One winter’s night, he got such a fright
when he walked out onto the lake.
He thought it was nice to skate on the ice.
That was his biggest mistake.

He fell through a crack and couldn’t get back
out of the water, you see.
Whilst he floundered about, along came a trout
who said, ‘You should swim, just like me.’

‘I don’t know how,’ said the cat with a yowl
as the water went over his head.
‘Oh, I should have stayed home, that’ll teach me to roam
away from my warm, cosy bed.

‘I know you’re wet and very upset,’
said the trout, as he swam by.
‘I’ll tell the ducks that you are stuck.
Now do try not to cry.’

The ducks said, ‘Quack, to get you back
on dry land will be tricky.
What we need is purple pond weed,
the sort that’s very sticky.’

They wrapped up his tail, which made the cat wail,
‘I don’t like your horrid pond weed.
My tail can’t twitch and it’s starting to itch.’
The ducks said, ‘It’s what you need.’

‘So, don’t be a wuss; please be a brave puss
whilst we snap our beaks on your tail.
We’ll hold on tight; it will soon be alright.
We don’t expect to fail.’

The cat was scared, he hardly dared
to put his trust in the ducks.
What if they failed? Or pulled off his tail?
He just had to wish for some luck.

‘Ok, let’s snap and get this cat back
to where he belongs in the park.’
The plan worked a treat, the rescue complete,
the cat stalked home in the dark.

But the very next day, he went back to play
with the ducks, who were now his best mates.
He brought them some seeds and purple pond weed,
even though that’s something he hates.

The St Georges Cat lives in a flat
next to St Georges Park.
When he goes out now, he’s careful to prowl
far away from the lake when it’s dark.