Another kick at the can/cat

Two questions:
1. What is the origin of the phrase "another kick at the can" (or cat), meaning "another attempt", as in this example: "In spite of our committee's previous failures to agree on this item, I'll take another kick at the can in drafting a proposal."
2. Which form -- using "can" or using "cat" -- is the original one? I have found examples of each on the internet, but other than forming the opinion that "can" is more commonly used than "cat", I haven't found which was used first (and is probably therefore more legitimate).

It's "another kick at the can", I'm pretty sure. I think it refers to an exclusively American children's game, called (staggeringly enough) kicking the can - but don't ask me how it's played. Steven Spielberg directed an "episode" in the 1983 movie "The Twilight Zone" called "Kicking The Can".

"Kicking the cat" is also an idiom in its own right, usually used when one wants to express frustration - "That meeting was so boring and unproductive that when I finally got home, I had to kick the cat."

Just for interest's sake, here is a link to parentcenter.com for instructions on how to play "kick the can"...

I played this in England as a child. The rules weren't quite the same as the US version. If anyone hiding could run out and kick the can without being caught they were free. A mean trick was to nail the can to the ground.

Thanks to all for your input (and for the parentcenter.com link!). I will confess to some surprise -- I had suspected that "kick at the cat" was more "correct". I now suspect that the "cat" version is a bastardized form of the "can" version. For future study: Is usage of "cat" widely dispersed, or more particular to certain geographical locations? (I live in and grew up near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). In any event, thanks again.