| abstract | - That's the sound of Cato the Elder ending a senate meeting. Cato was born to a family of cats in 1000 BCE. Early in his life, a human discovered that he could speak human languages and consequently exhibited him in a circus sideshow as "Cato the Elder." This is where Cato got his name. Cato soon escaped from the circus by stowing away in a cow. He stayed inside the cow for some time before emerging into Ancient Rome. Here, he was instantly appointed senator. He was the first cat senator in Roman history, and another would not come until the reign of Caligula. Cato believed that the circus he so loathed was centered in Carthage (but, in fact, it was the Circus Maximus), so he constantly yelled "Carthago delenda est!" during senate meetings. This led Hannibal Barca, Supreme Master of all Carthage, to come to Rome and declare war, resulting in the First Pubic War. Cato died in the first battle of this war and can be seen today in the Pet Cemetary.
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