What is the meaning of the phrase who will tell the cat?

Answer 1

It's an adaptation of a quotation from a fable often attributed to Aesop entitled "Belling the Cat."

As the story goes, the mice all met together to decide what they should do about the cat problem. The council came up with the proposal to hang a bell around the cat's neck so that they would hear her when she was coming, and could therefore avoid her.

In the original story the quotation is "who is to bell the cat," but the more modern version "who will tell the cat" has the same moral... it is easy to propose impossible remedies.

So, if someone says "who will tell the cat," they mean, that might be a nice idea, but it won't work. For instance, if we got together and decided that the world's problems would be solved through an equal distribution of wealth, someone might say "who will tell the cat?" ... It is a nice idea, but implementing it is problematic to the point of impossibility.

Incidentally, this is also the origin of "to bell the cat," which is when someone agrees to do an impossibly difficult task.

Answer 2

The phrase "who will tell the cat" is an expression that conveys the idea that some things are better left unsaid or kept secret, as it implies that even the cat (who is known for being inquisitive and curious) should not know about it. It's often used humorously to suggest that the information is so sensitive that not even the cat should be informed.