Question

9. Почему няньки Пирлипат должны были всегда держать на коленях котов (из рода кота Мурра), учтиво почёсывая этих котов за ушами, чтобы они непрестанно мурлыкали?

Answer 1

Чтобы когда пришла королева мышей коты смогли её словить.

Answer 2

This is a question from the fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E. T. A. Hoffmann. The answer is:

The nanny of Princess Pirlipat had to always keep cats on their laps, politely scratching their ears, so that they would constantly purr, because this was the only way to protect Pirlipat from the revenge of the Mouse Queen Mousilda. Mousilda was the mother of the seven-headed Mouse King, who was killed by the King's servants when he tried to steal the fat that was needed to make a special dish for Pirlipat. Mousilda swore to take revenge on the King and Queen, and turned their beautiful daughter into an ugly creature with a big head, a wide mouth, and a crooked nose. The only way to prevent Mousilda from harming Pirlipat further was to keep her away from the palace with the sound of cats' purring, which she hated. That is why the nanny had to always have cats on their laps and make them purr .