The Audubon Societies 55 



and we find that in the Middle Ages, witches and "spooks" were supposed to 

 assume the form of cats, more particularly of black cats. 



As a pet, the house cat seems always to have been cherished in the home. 

 Long ago, ladies of harems fondled their pet pussies and adorned them with 

 ear-rings. So far, then, as history shows, it is evident that the custom of keep- 

 ing domesticated cats is very old and, consequently, very hard to break. 



A second point in this question is the origin of the house cat, in other words, 

 the original place of the cat in nature. We must lirst distinguish between the 

 wild cats of Europe, Asia and America, and the wild cats of Africa, for, although 

 nearly related to each other, their temperaments, as well as their tails and feet 

 and skulls, are quite noticeably difTerent. The wild cats of Africa are easily 

 tamed, while the wild cats of other countries are fierce and almost untamable 

 creatures. It is probable that the domesticated cats we now harbor in our 

 homes were first derived from the African wild cats, and that, in later ages, 

 they interbred with wild cats in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. By habit, all 

 cats roam widely, and unlike horses, cattle, dogs, and other domesticated 

 animals, cling to their natural diet and inclinations. Now cats are naturally 

 carnivorous, and seek a diet made up of "hares, rabbits, field-mice, water-rats, 

 rats, squirrels, moles, game-birds, pigeons, and small birds." The ancient Egypt- 

 ians understood this point, for some of their sportsmen trained tame cats to 

 catch birds, just as dogs and falcons were similarly trained centuries afterward. 



Whether the wild cats of Africa devour proportionately as large a number 

 of birds as domesticated cats is probably not definitely known, but it is likely 

 that they do not unless other food fails them. This is merely a surmise and 

 one made on the ground that other kinds of prey taken together outnumber 

 birds. Today, domesticated cats devour birds greatly in excess of their 

 actual needs, since most house cats are well-fed, and most stray cats can find 

 an abundance of field-mice and other prey. In so far as this is the case, the 

 l^alanre of nature is being disturbed in a wrong direction, and the fault lies 

 with man, who has to his account too many mistakes of this kind. One has 

 only to call to mind the introduction of the English Sparrow into the United 

 States, of rabbits into Australia and the far West, of unnumbered weed-pests 

 and many other pests into all lands to realize how unfortunate a meddler with 

 Nature man has been and still is. Any reasonable way of correcting such dis- 

 turbances should be considered without prejudice. 



So far, then, as the origin of cats can be traced, the common house cat 

 came to us from Africa (possibly, also from China), with more or less cross- 

 ing with the wild cats of other countries. Its place in nature is to act as a 

 check upon small rodents chiefly, but by habit it is enabled to seek not only 

 adult birds but also their nests and young, and it is therefore a dangerous enemy 

 to bird-life. [There are many varieties of cats, and it is of curious interest to 

 learn that among them has been found a species, or possibly, only a variety, 

 that actually builds a nest in which to rear its young.] 



