104 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



and catching Goldfishes. In sleeping, the Cat likes to 

 curl up in a soft, warm place, but cannot bear to be 

 covered. I have noticed that Cats show a decided 

 liking for hay as a bed, probably because the fra- 

 grance is agreeable to them After a nap on such a 

 bed their fur usually has a very pleasant odor. 



Of the senses those of touch, sight and hearing are 

 the strongest in the Cat. The sense of smell is rather 

 dull, as anybody can see when the creature is offered 

 a favorite dainty in such manner as to prevent it 

 from using any other sense in the effort to deter- 

 mine what it is. If the whiskers are used, the result 

 is different, for they are very sensitive organs of 

 touch ; so are its paws, but in a less degree. The 

 eyes are excellent and capable of seeing by night as 

 well as by day. But the palm undoubtedly belongs 

 to its sense of hearing. Lenz tells us that he was 

 once sitting outdoors with a Kitten in his lap; sud- 

 denly it jumped backwards after a Mouse, which was 

 running unseen on a smooth stone pavement from 

 one bush to another and did not make a particle of 

 noise that a human ear could detect. He measured 

 the distance at which the Kitten had heard the 

 Mouse running behind it and it proved to be full)- 

 fourteen yards. 



Noteworthy The intellectual capacities of the Cat 

 Qualities are usually quite misunderstood. Peo- 



of the Cat. p[ e consider it a treacherous, deceitful, 

 sly animal, that is not to be trusted. Many confess 

 to an unconquerable feeling of antipathy towards it. 

 As a rule it is compared with the Dog, which ought 

 never to be done; and as such comparison shows that 

 the Cat does not possess the Dog's good qualities. 

 the conclusion is frequently drawn that there is no 

 use of any further investigation. Even naturalists 

 are given to pronouncing prejudiced and one-sided 

 opinions against it. I have sympathetically studied 

 the Cat from my childhood, and therefore accept the 

 following description of Scheitlin's, which certainly 

 possesses the merits of originality, understanding 

 and just appreciation: "The Cat is an animal of a 

 high order of intelligence. Its bodily structure alone 

 indicates this. It is a pretty, diminutive Lion; a 

 Tiger on a small scale. It show's the most complete 

 symmetry in its form — no one part is too large or too 

 small. That its every detail is rounded and beauti- 

 ful is even shown by an examination of the skull, 

 which is more symmetrical than that of any other 

 animal. Its movements are undulating and graceful 

 to the extent that it seems to have no bones. We 

 value our Cats too slightly because we detest their 

 thievish propensities, fear their claws and love their 

 enemy, the Dog, and we are not able to show equal 

 friendship and admiration for these two opposite 

 natures. 



" Let us examine the Cat's qualities. We are im- 

 pressed by its agility, yet its mind is as flexible as 

 its body. Its cleanliness of habit is as much a matter 

 of mental bias as physical choice, for it is constantly 

 licking and cleaning itself. Every hair of its fur 

 must be in perfect order; it never forgets as much 

 as the tip of its tail. It has a discriminating sensi- 

 bility as to both color and sound, for it knows Man 

 by his dress and by his voice. It possesses an ex- 

 cellent understanding of locality and practices it, for 

 it prowls through an entire neighborhood, through 

 basements and garrets and over roofs and hay-sheds, 

 without bewilderment. It is an ideally local animal, 

 and if the family moves it either declines to accom- 

 pany them or, if carried to the new residence, returns 

 at the first opportunity to the old homestead; and it 



is remarkable how unerringly it will find its way back,, 

 even when carried away in a sack for a distance of 

 several miles." 



The Mother When the mother Cat gives birth to- 

 Cat and Kittens there are usually five or six 



her Kittens. ; n the Utter, and they remain blind for 

 nine days. The mother selects for her young ones a 

 secluded spot and hides them carefully, especially 

 from the Tom-Cat, which, if he found them, would 

 make a meal of them. 



Young Kittens are beautiful little animals, and 

 their mother's love for them is unbounded. When- 

 ever she scents danger she carries them to some 

 place of safety, tenderly lifting them by compressing 

 the skin of their necks between her lips so gently 

 that the little Pussies scarcely feel it. During the 

 nursing period she leaves them only long enough to 

 forage for food. Some Cats do not know how to 

 take care of their first young ones and have to be 

 initiated into the duties of motherhood by Men or 

 by some old experienced Tabby. It is a proven fact 

 that all mother Cats learn how to care for Kittens 

 better and better with each succeeding litter. 



A Cat during the suckling period tolerates no Dog 

 or strange Cat near her Kittens; even her owner is an 

 unwelcome visitor at such a time. At the same time 

 she is particularly open to compassion for others. 

 There are many instances on record where Cats have 

 suckled and brought up young Puppies, Foxes, Rab- 

 bits, Hares, Squirrels, Rats and even Mice; I myself 

 have tried similar experiments successfully with my 

 Cats, when I was a boy. Once I brought a little 

 Squirrel yet blind to one of my Cats. Tenderly she 

 accepted the strange child among her own, and from 

 the first cared for it with motherly solicitude. The 

 Squirrel thrived beautifully, and after its step-brothers 

 had all been given away, it stayed and lived most 

 harmoniously with its foster mother, and she then 

 regarded it with redoubled affection. The relations 

 between them were as close and tender as possible. 

 They understood each other perfectly, though each 

 talked in its own language, and the Squirrel would 

 follow the Cat all over the house and into the garden. 



Intelligence If ' s commonly thought that Cats are 

 and Affection incapable of being educated; but this 

 of Cats. j s an injustice. They are also capable 

 of constant affection, and I have personally known 

 some which moved with their owners from one house 

 to another and never thought of returning to their 

 former home. They were well treated, and there- 

 fore thought more of the people than of the house. 

 They will allow those they like, and especially chil- 

 dren, to take incredible liberties with them, nearly as 

 much, in fact, as Dogs will. Some Cats accompany 

 their owners in their walks, and I knew two Tom- 

 Cats which usually followed the guests of their mis- 

 tress in the most polite manner. They would accom- 

 pany them for ten or fifteen minutes and then take 

 their leave with many an amiable purr, expressive of 

 their good will. Cats often strike up friendships 

 with other animals, and there are many instances 

 where Dogs and Cats have become fast friends, in 

 spite of the familiar proverb. 



Anecdotes There are a great man_\ - anecdotes illus- 

 About ttating the intelligence of this excellent 



the Cat. animal. Once our Cat gave birth to four 

 charming little Kittens, which she kept carefully 

 hidden in a hay-shed. Three or four weeks later she 

 came to my mother, coaxingly rubbed against her 

 dress, and seemed to call her to the door. Mother 

 followed her, and the Cat then joyfully ran across 



