8 JEALOUSY OF CATS. 



fled. I thought that Zillah seemed then more than ever — 

 happy. 



Though jealousy is one of if not the ruling attributes of 

 the cat, there are exceptions to such a rule. Sometimes it 

 may be that two or more will take to the same person. As 

 an instance of this I had two cats, one a red tabby, a great 

 beauty; Lillah, a short-haired red-and-white cat ; the latter 

 and a white long-haired one, named " The Colonel," were 

 great friends, and these associated with a tortoiseshell-and- 

 white, Lizzie. None of these were absolutely house cats, 

 but attended more to the poultry yards and runs, looking 

 after the chicken, seeing that no rats were about or other 

 " vermin," near the coops. Useful cats, very ! 



Mine was then a very large garden, and generally of 

 an evening, when at home, I used to walk about the 

 numerous paths to admire the beauties of the different 

 herbaceous plants, of which I had an interesting collection. 

 Five was my time of starting on my ambulation, when, 

 on going out of the door, I was sure to find the two 

 first-named cats, and often the third, waiting for me, ready 

 to go wherever I went, following like faithful dogs. These 

 apparently never had any jealous feeling. 



Of all the cats Lillah was the most loving. If I stood 

 still, she would look up, and watch the expression of my 

 face. If she thought it was favourable to her, she would 

 jump, and, clinging to my chest, put her fore-paws around 

 my neck, and rub her head softly against my face, purring 

 melodiously all the time, then move on to my shoulder, 

 while "The Colonel" and his tortoiseshell friend Lizzie 

 would press about my legs, uttering the same musical self- 

 complacent sound. Here, there, and everywhere, even out 

 into the road or into the wood, the pretty things would ac- 

 company me, seeming intensely happy. When I returned 

 to the house, they would scamper off, bounding in the air, 

 and playing with and tumbling over each other in the fullest 

 and most frolicsome manner imaginable. No ! I do not 

 think that Lillah, The Colonel, or Lizzie ever knew the feel- 

 ing of jealousy. But these, as I said before, were exceptions. 



