76 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



thought his work went easier. A Shah of 

 Persia, who bred a great many cats in his 

 palace, always ate from the same plate with 

 one of them. Lord Chesterfield, the English 

 poet Elliott, Sardou, Massenet, and Pierre Loti 

 are known for their Itne of cats. A tale told 

 of a Bernese artist, Gottfried Mind, called the 

 " Raphael of cats," is curious and strictly true. 

 During his whole life he devoted his attention 

 to cats, studying them daily for hours, and 

 portraying all their habits and ways ; he took 

 no interest in any other subject or person. 

 About all else his thoughts were vague and 

 even silly in old age, but about cats he showed 

 true knowledge. When he died, in 1814, his 

 features had acquired a sort of feline character. 



It is by no means rare to meet with 

 persons who resemble cats. It was 

 predicted to a king of Persia that 

 he would triumph in war if liis 

 armies were commanded by a 

 cat-faced man. The man was 

 found and victory perched upon 

 his banners. Popular supersti 

 tion asserts that the blood of 

 a cat, drunk to cure epilepsy, 

 infuses a feline nature, so that 

 the patient will ever after hunt 

 rats and mice. But those who 

 have eaten cats, sold under 

 the name of rabbit, have not 

 shown this propensity. Mme. Henriette Ron- 

 ner, nee Knip, at Amsterdam, where her father 

 was an artist, is a celebrated lover of cats. 

 Since her marriage she has lived in Brussels. 

 Her superb pictures of animals, in which cats 

 play a chief part, are known the world over. 

 In 1887 she received the Order of Leopold 

 from the king of the Belgians. 



The cat's relations with man are not as close 

 and intimate as those of the dog ; this may be 

 because of the fact that the animal is less fit- 

 ted to accompany him everywhere, or perhaps 

 because it is less fully tamed. It bristles up 

 far too much, and is still distrustful and sus- 

 picious. The warm friends of the cat may 

 perhaps take its part, but every one must 

 agree that it shows its claws a little too hastily, 



a custom which is not likely to promote a 

 more extended acquaintance. 



The stealthy, imperceptible step of the cat, 

 extremely cautious and slow, differs from the 

 noisy joy with which the dog, and e\'en the 

 horse, greets his master. Its eyes are beautiful, 

 but there is something enigmatical in them ; 

 moreover, the attachment of most cats is more 

 to the house than to its inhabitants. But if 

 we weigh these peculiarities, that are more or 

 less agreeable, against the really good qualities 

 of the cat, we shall find the balance in 

 its fa\-or ; which explains why per- 

 sons of superior minds so often 

 feel attracted to it. The more 

 they learn to know it, and the more 

 they treat it kindly and sensibly, the 

 less the savage traits of the crea- 

 ture's ancestors come out. The ap- 

 proach to friendliness ought not to 

 be made by one side only, but the first 

 steps should be taken by the one that 

 has most intelligence. If the cat is the 

 first to present a paw, the sharp claws 

 will be shown at the same time ; but 

 if the man holds out a caressing hand, 

 the velvet paw is advanced, cau- 

 tiously, it is true, but unarmed. 

 Let us observe this paw a lit- 

 tle closer, and also the eyes 



C.\T OF Buii.VillS, .VxciiiNr KcvfT . , 



and the cry of the annnal. 



II. The P.^ws, Eyes, and Cry of the Cat 

 The cat walks on its toes, like the lion, the 

 tiger, and the other species of animals of the 

 same class. It has five toes on the fore feet 

 and four toes on the hind feet. The claws, 

 nevertheless, remain sharp because whenever 

 the cat runs or walks on hard ground they 

 are drawn up into the articulations and never 

 touch the earth. A certain muscle darts them 

 forth as soon as the cat thinks it has need of 

 defending itself, or when it loses its equilib- 

 rium and is in danger of falling. The claws 

 being thus drawn in and the paws being 

 covered with fur, its movements are imper- 

 ceptible, even upon oilcloth, resulting disas- 

 trously to many a mouse. 



