中国的十二生肖里，鼠为先，牛随后，接下来就是虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。鼠为什么会排在第一位？是因为有老鼠在所以没有猫的位置吗？来看看下面的传说吧。

A popular legend has it that a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade¹ Emperor:

All the animals lined up on the bank of a river and were given the task of getting to the opposite shore. Their order in the calendar would be set by the order in which the animals managed to reach the other side. The cat wondered how he would get across if he was afraid of water. At the same time, the ox wondered how he would cross with his poor eyesight. The calculating rat suggested that he and the cat jump onto the ox's back and guide him across. The ox was steady and hard-working so that he did not notice a commotion² on his back. In the meanwhile, the rat snuck up behind the unsuspecting cat and shoved him into the water. Just as the ox came ashore³, the rat jumped off and finished the race first. The lazy pig came to the far shore in twelfth place. And so the rat got the first year named after him, the ox got the second year, and the pig ended up as the last year in the cycle. The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win any place in the calendar, and vowed⁴ to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.

Some versions of the tale say that the cattle nominated a water buffalo⁵ to represent them because he was more proficient⁶ at water. The trade was acceptable because both animals are members of the family of bovines.

Another expands the race; the route ran through a forest, over ranges of plains and grasslands⁷, and along a stream, before finally crossing a lake to the destination town.

Yet another variation tells of two different races. The first involved all the animals, in two divisions to avoid the fast animals dominating the top, and the top six in each division would "make the cut" for a second round, which would then determine the order of placement of the animals in the zodiac. This format⁸ is rather like the one that the National Football League uses to determine its playoff teams (six from each conference).

Interestingly the cat -- but not the rabbit -- does make the Vietnamese Zodiac.