Curiosity killed the cat expression

I remember hearing once a three-part expression but have not been able to remember or find the third part in years.

  1. Curiosity killed the cat.
  2. Satisfaction brought him back.

What is the third?


Solution 1:

I don't believe there is a third part. A quick Google search comes up with the oldest source of the saying being a 1598 play by Ben Jonson called Every Man in His Humour:

Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care'll kill a Cat, up-tails all, and a Louse for the Hangman.

A variant is in Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (Brewer, 1898):

Care killed the Cat. It is said that a cat has nine lives, but care would wear them all out.

According to Wikipedia (which I'm always skeptical of, but in this case provides external references for its claim):

On 10 August 1905, The Galveston Daily News newspaper (page 6) printed the following
quotation without the word satisfaction:

    Curiosity killed a cat; but it came back.

On 23 December 1912, the earliest known printed reference to this variation of the
proverb is found in The Titusville Herald newspaper (page 6):

    You will find greater values here. We are told:
    "Curiosity killed the cat,
    But satisfaction brought it back."
    It is the same story with groceries.
    "Prices will sell Groceries, but it is always final-
    ity that brings the buyer back."

By 15 May 1924, the proverb appears to have been well known, as this quote from
The Jewell Record newspaper (page 3) indicates:

    Come May 19th and 21st and see this puzzle completed. As the saying goes
    "Curiosity killed a cat, satisfaction brought it back."

Thanks to a comment, "Curiosity killed a cat—satisfaction brought it back again" appeared in Veal Breaded: A Comedy in One Act (1913).

If there is a variation of the saying that includes a third line, it's not one I know of or could quickly find.

Solution 2:

I remember “ information made him fat”