According to
Legend.....
The Lord Buddha summoned all
the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth.
Only twelve animals came to bid him farewell. First came
the Rat, then the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit (the Japanese
believed that it was the Cat actually), Dragon,
Snake,Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. Thus
we have the twelve animal signs of today. The animal
ruling the year in which you were born exercises a
profound influence on your life. As the Chinese say,
"This is the animal that hides in your
heart"