THE INTELLIGENCE OF CATS. 373 



purr of tranquillity and pleasure, the mew of distress, the growl 

 of anger, and the horrible wailing of pain." Besides these, the 

 expressions of the countenance, as Mr. Owen teaches in his poem, 

 are as lively and varied in the cat as in any other animal. The 

 well-bred cat can put these diversified means of expression to uses 

 commensurate with nearly all her wants ; and the sagacious and 

 sympathetic master can with no very great difficulty learn to 

 translate them as accurately as he responds to the wishes of his 

 child. 



Romanes gives several instances illustrating the applications 

 of this sign-language. A cat, observing that a terrier received 

 food in answer to a certain gesture, imitated his begging. An- 

 other would make a peculiar noise when it wanted a door opened, 

 and, if its wish was not attended to, would pull at one's dress with 

 its claws; then, having secured notice, would walk to the door 

 and stop with a vocal request. Another cat, having found its 

 friend the parrot mired in the dough, ran up-stairs to inform the 

 cook of the catastrophe, "mewing and making what signs she 

 could for her to go down," till at last " she jumped up, seized her 

 apron, and tried to drag her down," and finally succeeded in get- 

 ting her to rescue the bird. Other cats are mentioned which 

 would jump on chairs and look at bells, put their paws upon 

 them, or even ring them, when they wanted anything done for 

 which the ringing of a bell was a signal. 



The extent of the cat's understanding of human language must 

 depend considerably on the treatment and training it receives. 

 An animal that is treated unkindly or is neglected can not be 

 expected to learn much beyond the knowledge which its natu- 

 ral instinct confers upon it. Another animal, not necessarily 

 brighter, but having better opportunities and more encourage- 

 ment, may readily acquire knowledge of all the things that it 

 is important one of its kind should know. Cats having appre- 

 ciative masters and playmates will gain a really remarkable 

 degree of knowledge of the tones, gestures, words, thoughts, and 

 intentions of their human friends. Many of the well-authenti- 

 cated stories on this point reveal faculties of perception that must 

 seem astonishing even to persons well informed respecting the 

 mental powers of animals. Careful observation of his own puss 

 can hardly fail to convince any one that they understand more of 

 ordinary conversation, as well as of what is said to them directly, 

 than we are apt, at first thought, to suspect. Lindsay has shown 

 that, in common with other tamed and domestic animals, they 

 understand one or more of the modes in which man expresses his 

 ideas, wishes, or commands, as well as those ideas, wishes, and 

 commands themselves, however expressed, particularly the calls 

 to receive food, and their own names. They also, in common 



