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خلفية ثقافية

The idiom is deeply linked to the literary masterpiece 'The Kaidash Family' by Ivan Nechuy-Levytskyi, which satirizes the endless bickering of a rural family. In many Slavic folk tales, the cat and dog were originally friends but fell out over a lost 'charter' or 'contract' given to them by humans. In modern cities, this phrase is often used to describe the 'war' between neighbors over parking spots or noise in apartment buildings. The concept is so universal that Ukrainians easily apply it to international movies or TV shows, like 'Tom and Jerry' (though that's cat and mouse).