# Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?

“Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?” is an English nursery dialogue printed in 1805 about a cat that visits the Queen and startles a mouse.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | 1805 |
| Best for ages | 2–5 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/pussy-cat-pussy-cat-where-have-you-been/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I’ve been up to London to visit the Queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.

## How to sing it

1. Begin slowly so everyone can hear the repeated words and the action cue.
2. Let one singer ask the questions and another answer as the cat, then swap roles.
3. Repeat the song once and invite a different child to lead the cues.

## Common questions

**Which queen appears in Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat?**

The rhyme says only “the Queen” and does not name a monarch. Connecting the cat to a particular queen or royal court would therefore be speculation rather than something established by the text.

**What does the pussy cat do at the palace?**

Instead of describing the Queen, the cat says it frightened a little mouse under her chair. That small domestic detail is the rhyme’s comic answer to the grand journey to London.

## Sources

- [The New Yale Book of Quotations — Songs for the Nursery (1805) citation](https://forum.freemdict.com/uploads/short-url/vwGvQdg1X5bV2YnrAaNzriBgVkt.pdf)
- [Project Gutenberg — Mother Goose (1915)](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/24623/pg24623-images.html)