THE CAT KIND. 



289 



it with a bound, at the same time expressing 

 th-ir fierce pleasure with a roar ; and the first 

 grasp generally disables the captive from all 

 further resist mce. With all these qualifica- 

 tions for slaughter, they nevertheless seem 

 timid and cowardly, arid seldom make an at- 

 tack, like those of the dog kind, at a disadvan- 

 tage : on the contrary, they fly when the force 

 against them is superior, or even equal to their 

 own ; and the lion himself will not venture to 

 make a second attempt, where he has been 

 once repulsed with success. For this reason, 

 in countries that are tolerably inhabited, the 

 lion is so co vardly, that he is often scared away 

 by the cries of women and children. 



The cat, which is the smallest animal of this 

 kind, is the only one that has been taken under 

 human protection, and may be considered as 

 a faithless friend, brought to oppose a still more 

 insidious enemy. a It is, in fact, the only ani- 

 mal of this tribe whose services can more than 

 recompense the trouble of their education, and 

 whose strength is not sufficient to make its an- 

 ger formidable. The lion, or the tiger, may 

 easily be tamed, and rendered subservient to 

 human command ; but even in their humblest, 

 and most familiar moments, they are still dan- 

 gerous ; since their strength is such that the 

 smallest fit of anger or caprice may have dread- 

 ful consequences. But the cat, though easily 

 offended, and often capricious in her resent- 

 ments, is not endowed with powers sufficient 

 to do any great mischief. Of all animals, 

 when young, there is none more prettily play- 

 ful than the kitten ; but it seems to lose this 

 disposition as it grows old, and the innate 

 treachery of its kind is then seen to prevail. 

 From being naturally ravenous, education 

 teaches it to disguise its appetites, and to watch 

 the favourable moment of plunder ; supple, in- 

 sinuating, and artful, it has learned the arts of 

 concealing its intentions till it can put them 

 into execution ; when the opportunity offers, 

 it at once seizes upon whatever it finds, flies 

 off with it,, and continues at a distance till it 

 supposes its offence forgotten. The cat has 

 only the appearance of , attachment ; and it 

 may easily be perceived, by its timid approach- 

 es, :md side-long looks, that it either dreads its 

 master, or distrusts his kindness ; differed 



a This description is nearly translated from Mr. Buffon: 

 wh:it I have added is marked with inverted commas. 



from the dog, whose caresses are sincere, the 

 cat is assiduous ruther for its own pleasure, 

 than to please ; and often gains confidence, on- 

 ly to abuse it. The form of its body, and its 

 temperament, correspond with its disposition ; 

 active, cleanly, delicate, and voluptuous, it 

 loves its ease, and seeks the softest cushions to 

 lie on. " Many of its habits, however, are ra- 

 ther the consequences of its formation, than 

 the result of any perverseness in its disposition ; 

 it is timid and mistrustful, because its body is 

 weak, and its skin tender ; a blow hurts it in- 

 finitely more than it does a dog, whose hide is 

 thick, and body muscular; the long fur in 

 which the cat is clothed, entirely disguises its 

 shape, which, if seen naked, is long, feeble, 

 and slender ; it is not to be wondered, there- 

 fore, that it appears much more fearful of chas- 

 tisement than the dog, and often flies, even 

 when no correction is intended. Being also 

 the native of the warmer climates, as will be 

 shown hereafter, it chooses the softest bed to 

 lie on, which is always the warmest." 



The cat goes with young fifty-six days, and 

 seldom brings forth above five or six at a time. 

 The female usually hides the place of her re- 

 treat from the male, who is often found to de- 

 vour her kittens. She feeds them for some 

 weeks with her milk, and whatever small ani- 

 mal she can take by surprise, accustoming 

 them betimes to rapine. Before they are a 

 year old, they are fit to engender ; the female 

 seeks the male with cries ; nor is their copula- 

 tion performed without great pain, from the 

 narrowness of the passage in the female. They 

 live to about the age of ten years ; and, during 

 that period, they are extremely vivacious, suf- 

 fering to be worried a longtime before they die. 



The young kittens are very playful and 

 amusing; but their sport soon turns into ma- 

 lice, and they, from the beginning, show a dis- 

 position to cruelty ; they often look wistfully 

 towards the cage, sit centinels at the mouth of 

 a mouse-hole, and, ina short time, become more 

 expert hunters, than if they had received the 

 instruction of art. Indeed, their disposition is 

 so incapable of constraint, that all instruction 

 would be but thrown away. It is true, that 

 we are told of the Greek monks of the isle of 

 Cyprus, teaching cats to hunt the serpents 

 with which the island is infested ; but this may 

 be natural to the animal itself, and they might 

 have fallen upon such a pursuit without any 



