Free Welsh cat rhyme and colouring poster
Pwsi Meri Mew: Welsh Lyrics, English Translation and A4 Printable
Pwsi Meri Mew is a traditional Welsh children’s rhyme about a cat who loses her fur on a wintry journey. This free bilingual A4 poster includes the Welsh words, a newly written line-by-line translation and an original cat picture that children can colour.
The print button opens only the poster. Choose A4 portrait, 100% scale, no margins, and turn off browser headers and footers.
Spelling note: the historically documented title is Pwsi Meri Mew. “Pwsi Meri Mêg” appears to be a mistaken rendering, so this resource uses the verified traditional name.
What does Pwsi Meri Mew mean?
The title is a playful cat name that can be understood as “Pussycat Meri Mew”. In the rhyme, somebody asks the cat where she lost her fur. She answers that it happened while carrying fire to Aunt Siân’s house through heavy snow and frost. The impossible combination of a cat, fire and freezing weather gives the short verse its memorable nursery-rhyme logic.
The translation on this page follows the Welsh one line at a time. It is intended to make the scene understandable for parents and beginning learners rather than to create a new English song. The rhyme has circulated in different forms, and some older collections include a longer version involving a journey to Llwyn Tew and an unusual meal.
Traditional Welsh verse
Pwsi Meri Mew,
Ble collaist ti dy flew?
Wrth gario tân
I dŷ Modryb Siân,
Drwy’r eira mawr a’r rhew.
English translation
Pussycat Meri Mew,
Where did you lose your fur?
While carrying fire
To Aunt Siân’s house,
Through the deep snow and frost.
Welsh vocabulary in the cat rhyme
| Welsh | English meaning | Simple learning action |
|---|---|---|
| pwsi | pussycat | Make two pretend cat ears with your hands. |
| ble? | where? | Look around and open both hands as a question. |
| collaist ti | did you lose / you lost | Hide a small object and look for it. |
| blew | fur | Describe a toy animal as soft, rough or fluffy. |
| cario | carrying | Pretend to carry a small parcel carefully. |
| tân | fire | Point to a drawn flame; never use real fire. |
| tŷ | house | Make a roof shape using both hands. |
| modryb | aunt | Think of or draw a family member. |
| eira | snow | Move fingers downwards like falling snow. |
| rhew | frost or ice | Shiver dramatically at the final word. |
Why does the rhyme say dy flew?
The basic Welsh word for fur is blew. After the possessive word dy, meaning “your”, the initial b changes to f through a soft mutation. Welsh f is pronounced like the English letter v. Therefore dy flew means “your fur”. This is a useful phrase for older beginners to notice, but young children can simply learn it as part of the complete question.
How to use this printable with young children
Begin by introducing the cat at the top of the poster. Ask children to name its ears, eyes, nose and whiskers before reading the Welsh verse. Point to each line and use a repeated action: cat ears for pwsi, searching hands for ble, carrying arms for cario, a roof for tŷ, falling fingers for eira and a shiver for rhew.
Read the question in one voice and the answer in another. A parent or teacher can ask the first two lines while the child responds with the final three. In a group, divide the class into questioners and cats, then exchange roles. This supports listening and conversational turn-taking even before children understand every individual word.
The geometric cat face was left uncoloured so children can add their own patterns. They might create a ginger cat, black cat, tabby or an entirely imaginary rainbow cat. Ask whether the cat still has some fur and invite children to draw the missing tufts safely around the picture.
EYFS winter and storytelling activities
The rhyme fits a winter topic because it mentions snow and frost. Talk about clothing that keeps people warm and compare a cat’s fur with a coat, hat or gloves. Children could sort picture cards into warm-weather and cold-weather groups, then practise the Welsh words eira and rhew.
The line about carrying fire belongs to the imaginative world of a traditional rhyme. Make clear that real flames, matches and hot objects are only for responsible adults. For classroom role play, replace the fire with a red-and-orange paper flame or a soft fabric shape. This keeps the story recognisable without creating a hazardous activity.
Invite children to retell the journey using three pictures: the cat setting out, the snowy path and Aunt Siân’s house. They can decide where the fur was lost and what happened next. There is no single correct continuation, making the activity useful for oral storytelling and sequencing.
KS1 bilingual literacy ideas
For Reception, Year 1 or Year 2, print a second copy and cut the five lines into strips. Learners can match each Welsh line to its English meaning or place the Welsh verse in order. Keep an intact poster visible so the task remains supportive rather than becoming a memory test.
Ask pupils to find the rhyming Welsh words mew, flew and rhew. They can clap when each rhyme appears and notice how a short sequence of sounds holds the verse together. Older pupils may enjoy comparing the realistic details—snow, a house and a family member—with the unlikely idea of a cat carrying fire.
The A4 poster contains no commercial cat character, external illustration or branded typeface. Its cat, whiskers and snow symbols were created specifically from simple SVG paths and lines. The limited palette should remain readable when printed in greyscale.
Frequently asked questions
Is it Pwsi Meri Mew or Pwsi Meri Mêg?
The documented traditional wording is Pwsi Meri Mew. The final word echoes a cat’s meow and helps form the rhyme with flew and rhew.
Are there different versions?
Yes. Older and regional versions change the destination and details of the journey. This printable uses the short five-line version that remains widely recognisable.
Can children colour the cat?
Yes. The cat face is intentionally unfilled line art. Children can add colours and patterns with pencils or crayons after printing.
Can I use this at nursery or school?
Yes. This Prydain resource is intended for personal, family and classroom use. Please do not resell it or upload the downloadable file to another website.
