In German there’s the word Dachhase (literally translated “roof hare”). Why it exists? Well…
There are several reports that people ate cats in the 1600-1900, especially the poor when times were hard. And if you gut a cat, cut it’s paws, head and tail and remove it’s fur, the remainder look similar to what would remain of hares. Since cats can reach the roofs, but hare don’t, this term was coined.
In German there’s the word
Dachhase(literally translated “roof hare”). Why it exists? Well…There are several reports that people ate cats in the 1600-1900, especially the poor when times were hard. And if you gut a cat, cut it’s paws, head and tail and remove it’s fur, the remainder look similar to what would remain of hares. Since cats can reach the roofs, but hare don’t, this term was coined.
See also https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachhase (no English page available)
We have the same word in Dutch, ‘dakhaas’. Though here most reports of people eating it are from the winter of 1944-1945.