diff --git a/lib/http.js b/lib/http.js
index 25fc8143d36..1768e7648e5 100644
--- a/lib/http.js
+++ b/lib/http.js
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ function ClientRequest(options) {
 
   var method = this.method = (options.method || 'GET').toUpperCase();
   var path = options.path || '/';
-  var headers = options.headers;
+  var headers = options.headers || {};
 
   // Host header set by default.
   if (options.host && !(headers.host || headers.Host || headers.HOST)) {
@@ -1110,3 +1110,137 @@ exports.request = function(options, cb) {
 };
 
 
+exports.get = function(options, cb) {
+  options.method = 'GET';
+  var req = exports.request(options, cb);
+  req.end();
+};
+
+
+// Shims to old interface.
+
+function Client(port, host) {
+  this.port = port;
+  this.host = host;
+}
+
+
+Client.prototype.request = function(method, path, headers) {
+  if (typeof(path) != 'string') {
+    // assume method was omitted, shift arguments
+    headers = path;
+    path = method;
+    method = 'GET';
+  }
+
+  var options = {
+    method: method,
+    path: path,
+    headers: headers,
+    port: this.port,
+    host: this.host
+  };
+
+  return exports.request(options);
+};
+
+
+exports.createClient = function(port, host) {
+  return new Client(port, host);
+};
+
+
+exports.cat = function(url, encoding_, headers_) {
+  var encoding = 'utf8',
+      headers = {},
+      callback = null;
+
+  // parse the arguments for the various options... very ugly
+  if (typeof(arguments[1]) == 'string') {
+    encoding = arguments[1];
+    if (typeof(arguments[2]) == 'object') {
+      headers = arguments[2];
+      if (typeof(arguments[3]) == 'function') callback = arguments[3];
+    } else {
+      if (typeof(arguments[2]) == 'function') callback = arguments[2];
+    }
+  } else {
+    // didn't specify encoding
+    if (typeof(arguments[1]) == 'object') {
+      headers = arguments[1];
+      callback = arguments[2];
+    } else {
+      callback = arguments[1];
+    }
+  }
+
+  var url = require('url').parse(url);
+
+  var hasHost = false;
+  if (Array.isArray(headers)) {
+    for (var i = 0, l = headers.length; i < l; i++) {
+      if (headers[i][0].toLowerCase() === 'host') {
+        hasHost = true;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+  } else if (typeof headers === 'Object') {
+    var keys = Object.keys(headers);
+    for (var i = 0, l = keys.length; i < l; i++) {
+      var key = keys[i];
+      if (key.toLowerCase() == 'host') {
+        hasHost = true;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  if (!hasHost) headers['Host'] = url.hostname;
+
+  var content = '';
+
+  var client = exports.createClient(url.port || 80, url.hostname);
+  var req = client.request((url.pathname || '/') +
+                           (url.search || '') +
+                           (url.hash || ''),
+                           headers);
+
+  if (url.protocol == 'https:') {
+    client.https = true;
+  }
+
+  var callbackSent = false;
+
+  req.addListener('response', function(res) {
+    if (res.statusCode < 200 || res.statusCode >= 300) {
+      if (callback && !callbackSent) {
+        callback(res.statusCode);
+        callbackSent = true;
+      }
+      client.end();
+      return;
+    }
+    res.setEncoding(encoding);
+    res.addListener('data', function(chunk) { content += chunk; });
+    res.addListener('end', function() {
+      if (callback && !callbackSent) {
+        callback(null, content);
+        callbackSent = true;
+      }
+    });
+  });
+
+  client.addListener('error', function(err) {
+    if (callback && !callbackSent) {
+      callback(err);
+      callbackSent = true;
+    }
+  });
+
+  client.addListener('close', function() {
+    if (callback && !callbackSent) {
+      callback(new Error('Connection closed unexpectedly'));
+      callbackSent = true;
+    }
+  });
+  req.end();
+};