diff --git a/core/commands/cat.go b/core/commands/cat.go
index bea51067c..810dcb6d8 100644
--- a/core/commands/cat.go
+++ b/core/commands/cat.go
@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	cmds "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/commands"
 	core "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/core"
-	path "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/path"
-	uio "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/unixfs/io"
+	coreunix "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/core/coreunix"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/cheggaaa/pb"
 	context "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/Godeps/_workspace/src/golang.org/x/net/context"
@@ -68,12 +67,7 @@ func cat(ctx context.Context, node *core.IpfsNode, paths []string) ([]io.Reader,
 	readers := make([]io.Reader, 0, len(paths))
 	length := uint64(0)
 	for _, fpath := range paths {
-		dagnode, err := core.Resolve(ctx, node, path.Path(fpath))
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, 0, err
-		}
-
-		read, err := uio.NewDagReader(ctx, dagnode, node.DAG)
+		read, err := coreunix.Cat(node, fpath)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, 0, err
 		}
diff --git a/core/coreunix/cat.go b/core/coreunix/cat.go
index 5bbd0f56e..9904635fb 100644
--- a/core/coreunix/cat.go
+++ b/core/coreunix/cat.go
@@ -1,14 +1,12 @@
 package coreunix
 
 import (
-	"io"
-
 	core "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/core"
 	path "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/path"
 	uio "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/unixfs/io"
 )
 
-func Cat(n *core.IpfsNode, pstr string) (io.Reader, error) {
+func Cat(n *core.IpfsNode, pstr string) (*uio.DagReader, error) {
 	p := path.FromString(pstr)
 	dagNode, err := n.Resolver.ResolvePath(n.Context(), p)
 	if err != nil {