| “ | For a war on the cats was under debate in that sovereign assembly of Zoogs. It all came from the loss of the party which had sneaked after Carter to Ulthar, and which the cats had justly punished for unsuitable intentions. The matter had long rankled; and now, or at least within a month, the marshalled Zoogs were about to strike the whole feline tribe in a series of surprise attacks, taking individual cats or groups of cats unawares, and giving not even the myriad cats of Ulthar a proper chance to drill and mobilise. This was the plan of the Zoogs, and Carter saw that he must foil it before leaving upon his mighty quest. | „ |
| ~ H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath |
The Zoogs are a species of creature that appear in H.P. Lovecraft's story The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. They are forest-dwelling rodents that are the mortal enemies of cats.
Biography[]
The Zoogs inhabit the Enchanted Forest of Earth's Dreamlands. They prey on kittens, and are in return preyed upon by adult cats. Zoogs are secretive creatures that drink the fermented sap of the forest's trees, and some of them have been alive for many years. They appear to be governed by the Council of Sages.
The Zoogs only appear in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, in which they direct Randolph Carter to talk to the priest Atal in his quest to find the city of Kadath. Several of the Zoogs follow him to the town of Ulthar, where it is illegal to kill a cat. While Carter talks to Atal, one of the Zoogs attacks and eats a small black kitten and the cats attack and kill the Zoogs in retaliation.
Wanting to get revenge for the Zoog party's death, the Zoog leaders plot to make war on the cats of Ulthar. Carter discovers their plan and warns the cats, who attack and take over every known settlement of the Zoogs. They are then forced into a treaty in which they must provide the cats with an annual tribute of grouse, quail, and pheasants. The Zoogs are then allowed to leave, with a warning that if any cats go missing in the Enchanted Forest then the cats will take revenge.
External links[]
- Zoog at the H.P. Lovecraft Wiki
