the proverbial cat-in-bag

do you ever wonder what the phrase "let the cat out of the bag" is about? i mean, what is the cat doing in the bag anyway? and why is it a big deal if he gets out? while we played no agent in the deposition of said cat, there was nonetheless a cat - in fact, cats - in the bag. were someone to let them out, we would certainly want to know who.
















credit to tracy, today's writer and contributing photo editor (who openly admits he's the one who takes all the pictures of the cats).