224 OUR HOME PETS 



ural way of lying will not endure the rough- 

 ness of a comb, or even a brush, except a soft 

 one. 



More than any other beast the cat needs 

 gentle treatment. Ages of persecution have 

 made him suspicious, and it will require ages 

 of kindness to eradicate that trait from his 

 character. He is, therefore, on the lookout 

 for injustice and cruelty ; a rough word makes 

 him shrink as from a blow; harsh reproof 

 strikes upon his sensitive nerves with terrible 

 effect. He must be won by gentleness and 

 loving care before he will be convinced of the 

 friendship of a human being and be his nat- 

 ural self; and he must not be blamed for it 

 either; it is the fault of the race which has so 

 long ill-treated him. He cannot, like the dog, 

 take good-will for granted, because the whole 

 experience of his life teaches him otherwise. 



His confidence won, however, no pet is so 

 delightful in a quiet-loving home as the cat, 

 and the difference between one thus treated 

 and the ordinary beast is marvellous. " His 

 gestures and actions," says Rev. J. G. Wood, 

 describing his own pet cat, " are full of that 

 spirited yet easy grace which can never be at- 



