A Kitten at School 



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ing them again and again, as they attempt to 

 escape, before finally giving them their quietus. 

 Many explanations of this have been given, 

 none of which seem to me very satisfactory. 

 Mr. Romanes refers it to an endowment of extra 

 cruelty in the feline nature, which seems to me 

 simply begging the question. I am inclined to 

 refer it to the animal's enjoyment of play 

 its living victim is an active toy. Few cats 

 ever get too old to frolic with a ball. I have 

 seen a bulldog become enraged almost to the 

 point of insanity over a struggle with a stone 

 globe about the size of a football. It is proba- 

 ble the animal thinks it alive. Tigers and lions, 

 when they are enraged, or alarmed, and strike 

 down a hunter, do not hesitate about killing him 

 at once they are in no mood for play; but 

 domestic cats will sometimes catch animals they 

 do not like to eat just for the fun of it. An 

 instance in point was reported in Science Gossip 

 (July, 1876), as follows: " We had a cat which 

 was very fond of playing with frogs. She 

 would hunt about the garden until she unearthed 

 one, and pat it on the back until it leaped away 



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