CHAPTER XIV 

 CATS AND THE WEATHER 



Is the domestic cat so weatherwise as many people 

 believe^t to be ? May not good weather be expected, 

 say some folk, when pussy washes herself, or bad 

 weather when she licks her coat the wrong way, or 

 sits with her back to the fire ? 



Let but poor puss scamper wildly about the house, 

 amid the infinite scoldings of the busy mistress, and 

 she is said to have a " gale in her tail." And have not 

 sailors a belief that ill-luck awaits them if the ship's 

 cat frisks around more than usual ? 



Although I have always been very fond of cats, I 

 must confess not to have observed anything weather- 

 wise about them. One of my favourites of the feline 

 tribe is named " Billy," which to its intimates is 

 shortened to " Bill." Why it should be caUed " Billy," 

 or even " Bill " is perhaps best known to those who 

 gave it that name, for it is of the fair sex, though 

 black as midnight. 



Well, " Billy " is a cat of originality. Among her 

 peculiarities is that of seeking admission to the house, 

 after an evening stroll along the tops of the back 

 garden walls, by vigorously rattling the handle of the 

 basement door. 



Recently, " Billy's " mistress a lady born within 



no 



