146 THE DOMESTIC CAT. 



mode of denoting their agreeable sensations, by 

 spreading out and again retracting their claws ; 

 and by alternately putting down and raising their 

 fore-legs. Kittens, when they are sucking the 

 mother, press, in the same manner, the teat with 

 their paws. The agitation of the tail, which in 

 Dogs is a signal of pleasure, is, on the contrary, in 

 Cats, very often a mark of rage or cunning. When 

 they run towards any object that pleases them, 

 they generally carry their tail high and extended. 

 When fhey are inclined to play, they do not un- 

 sheath their talons, but seize the hand, or any other 

 object, in their velvet paws, without scratching. 

 It is common for them, in their frolic, to hold the 

 hand firmly grasped, and, lying on their backs, to 

 kick it with the hind feet, with considerable vio- 

 lence, these animals are irritable, and when the 

 play is carried further than is agreeable to them, 

 they will seize the hand in earnest; and, after 

 having inflicted deep wounds with their claws and 

 teeth, will immediately run off to escape from 

 chastisement. Cats, when at rest and not inclined 

 to sleep, usually sit with the fore-part of their 

 body upright, having all the feet close together, 

 and, usually, the tail curved round them. When 

 suddenly roused from sleep, they commonly stretch 

 out first their hind, then their fore legs, and after- 

 wards elevate greatly the middle of their back. 



In the manners of the Cat we often observe a 

 remarkable degree of slyness and cunning. If one 



of 



