NOTES 223 



I returned for a visit. The cats were active and lively, and it 

 will be noted, were in their eleventh year. I asked my friends 

 it anyone had fed Tom in my way since I had been there last, 

 and they said no one had done so. So I had much curiosity 

 to see if he would remember, as it was now over three years 

 since I was there last. Sitting in a chair and taking a bit of 

 meat on a fork and holding it out at arm's length (out to one side, 

 not in front), I spoke to Tom and told him to come up if he 

 wanted it. He looked at me and at the meat, and seemed 

 puzzled; I continued talking to him and then he apparently 

 remembered, but imperfectly or doubtfully, for, instead of 

 coming up with a rush as had been his former habit, this first 

 time he climbed up rather deliberately and hesitatingly and 

 took the meat. But only the first time did he hesitate; after 

 that he wasted no time. Snowball was, of course, present while 

 this was going on. Unfortunately I kept no notes of the matter, 

 so cannot say if it was the first time or a meal or a day or two 

 after that the surprising thing took place. Tom had taken a 

 piece of meat from the fork and jumped to the floor to eat it 

 and I was holding out more, talking to Snowball, who was 

 begging for it, telling him it was his for the taking, and appar- 

 ently he decided he could do what his brother did, for suddenly 

 he came with a scramble to my shoulder and secured the tidbit. 



To say I was surprised puts it mildly, for I looked for nothing 

 of the sort after all those years and was merely teasing him as 

 I always did. I had always given him his share in his own way. 

 I remained nearly two weeks, and during the remainder of the 

 time Snowball vied with Tom in taking the meat, often there 

 was a race up on my lap for it. There was another cat at the 

 ranch (and it was not a cat ranch!) a half brother of these two, 

 nine months younger, "Sunflower" by name, or "Sunny," for 

 short, a large yellow animal. His appetite was as good as the 

 others, but he would not climb for his food, so went without 

 to some extent. I do not wish anyone to infer that feeding 

 from the fork was the only way those cats were fed, for they 

 had plenty to eat besides, and were out about much after mice. 

 The feeding with the fork was simply done for amusement. 



It is certainly very strange that Snowball should have waited 

 so long before learning his brother's trick or imitating him, 

 however it may be best expressed, when he had seen it done 



