“Il Gatto e il Cane” — Cat and the Dog Song in Italian for Kids

In “Il Gatto e il Cane” (The Cat and the Dog), kids sing key Italian words like gatto, cane, miao and bau bau, going back and forth between English and Italian, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a beginner song from Unit 4: Animals, 2:02 long, made for ages 2–8.

🇮🇹 Italian
Level: Beginner
Unit 4 · Gli Animali
⏱ 2:02
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“Il Gatto e il Cane” lyrics with English translation

Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. Italian is shown in teal.

Song lyrics with translation. Italian lines are shown in teal.
Sung	Meaning
Cat!	Gatto!
Gatto!	Cat!
Where's the cat?	Dov'è il gatto?
Dov'è il gatto?	Where's the cat?
Dog!	Cane!
Cane!	Dog!
Here comes the dog!	Ecco il cane!
Ecco il cane!	Here comes the dog!
Soft little cat.	Gattino morbido.
Gatto morbido.	Soft cat.
Happy little dog.	Cagnolino felice.
Cane felice!	Happy dog!
What does the cat say?	Cosa dice il gatto?
Miao, miao!	Meow, meow!
What does the dog say?	Cosa dice il cane?
Bau bau!	Woof, woof!
Cat, cat!	Gatto, gatto!
Gatto, gatto!	Cat, cat!
Dog, dog!	Cane, cane!
Cane, cane!	Dog, dog!
Miao, miao!	Meow, meow!
Meow, meow!	Miao, miao!
Woof, woof!	Bau bau!
Bau bau!	Woof, woof!
Gatto e cane, friends to play!
Cat and dog, hip hip hooray!	Gatto e cane, hip hip urrà!
Good morning, cat!	Buongiorno, gatto!
Buongiorno, gatto!	Good morning, cat!
Come here, dog!	Vieni qui, cane!
Vieni qui, cane!	Come here, dog!
The cat is sleeping.	Il gatto dorme.
Il gatto dorme.	The cat is sleeping.
The dog is running.	Il cane corre.
Il cane corre.	The dog is running.
Little cat, come play!	Gattino, vieni a giocare!
Gattino, vieni a giocare!	Little cat, come play!
Little dog, come here!	Cagnolino, vieni qui!
Cagnolino, vieni qui!	Little dog, come here!
A bowl of water.	Una ciotola d'acqua.
Una ciotola d'acqua.	A bowl of water.
The cat and the dog.	Il gatto e il cane!
Il gatto e il cane!	The cat and the dog!
Cat, cat!	Gatto, gatto!
Gatto, gatto!	Cat, cat!
Dog, dog!	Cane, cane!
Cane, cane!	Dog, dog!
Miao, miao!	Meow, meow!
Meow, meow!	Miao, miao!
Woof, woof!	Bau bau!
Bau bau!	Woof, woof!
Gatto e cane, friends to play!
Cat and dog, hip hip hooray!	Gatto e cane, hip hip urrà!
Who says miao?
The cat! Il gatto!
Who says bau bau?
The dog! Il cane!
One cat, two cats!	Un gatto, due gatti!
Un gatto, due gatti!	One cat, two cats!
One dog, two dogs!	Un cane, due cani!
Un cane, due cani!	One dog, two dogs!
Now you know—let's sing again!	Ora lo sai, cantiamo ancora!
Cat, cat!	Gatto, gatto!
Gatto, gatto!	Cat, cat!
Dog, dog!	Cane, cane!
Cane, cane!	Dog, dog!
Miao, miao!	Meow, meow!
Meow, meow!	Miao, miao!
Woof, woof!	Bau bau!
Bau bau!	Woof, woof!
Gatto e cane, friends to play!
Cat and dog, hip hip hooray!	Gatto e cane, hip hip urrà!
Gatto! Cane! Miao! Bau bau!	Cat! Dog! Meow! Woof woof!

Key Italian words in this song

The 4 words and phrases this song is built around.

Italian	English
gatto	cat
cane	dog
miao	meow
bau bau	woof

How to use this song with your child

1
Make “gatto” the word of the day
This song repeats “gatto” (cat) on 15 lines. Use it once or twice during the day outside the song, and let your child correct you if you get it wrong.
2
Pause between the call and the answer
The song moves back and forth between English and Italian. On a second listen, pause after an English line and let your child try the Italian answer before the song sings it.
3
Make it a routine
At 2:02, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Hand your child the toy animal the song is singing about, and swap when the next one comes up.