126 THOSE OTHER ANIMALS. 



and even wet weather, which of all things it most hates, 

 will not suffice to damp its ardour. It can hardly be doubted 

 that cats are well aware that their gatherings for vocal pur- 

 poses are hateful to mankind ; but this knowledge in no way 

 affects them, and even the voice of the mistress, who an 

 hour before bestowed bread and milk, is absolutely unheeded 

 when raised in an agonised appeal for silence. The predatory 

 instinct is strong in these creatures, and however well a cat 

 be fed or treated, it remains a thief to the end of its life. 

 It is believed by those best acquainted with them that the 

 greater portion of the time spent by a cat sitting in a state 

 of apparent somnolency on the hearthrug, is really occupied 

 in maturing plans for the surreptitious carrying off of pats 

 of butter, for raids upon the larder, or for the assassination 

 of canary birds. 



The question why the cat should of all creatures be se- 

 lected by ladies as a domestic pet has occasioned high 

 debate among philosophers of all ages. The animal possesses 

 many vices. It is erratic in its habits, noisy, and thievish. 

 It has no real affection for its mistress. It has but one 

 virtue it is soft, but many other things are soft which are 

 free from drawbacks. Some have pretended to see a resem- 

 blance between the natures of the cat and the woman, but 

 no sufficiently strong analogy can be traced to support so 

 libellous an assertion. The fact that both love the fireside 

 and hate going out into the wet, and that it is dangerous to 

 rub either the wrong way, can scarcely be considered as of 

 sufficient importance to warrant the suggestion of general 

 similarity. The feeble plea that cats catch mice cannot be 

 admitted as an argument in favour of their general accept- 

 ance. There are not mice to catch in a great many houses, 



