THE HOSPITABLE CAT. 207 



growth used to scratch and bite his mother shamefully, wresting from her by force the 

 food which was intended for herself. He was such a savage animal, and, so de- 

 termined a robber, that as a last resource a death-warrant was issued, and would 

 have been carried into execution but for one preventing cause the animal would not 

 die. He was several times shot I have seen him knocked off a wall by a charge of 

 shot, and laid apparently lifeless on the ground ; yet, when he was approached, he 

 jumped up, spat, snarled, and escaped. He had an arrow through him once, he was 

 poisoned two or three times, and was once fairly pinned to the ground in his place of 

 refuge among some hampers, by a long, sharp, steel spike, at the end of a pole. But 

 he would not die, and did not die ; but continued to haunt the place with such cool 

 pertinacity that we yielded the point. 



A Cat of whom I lately heard chose a very curious spot in which to rear her little 

 family. She made a nest on the summit of a pollard oak, and there brought up her 

 kittens. Her spot of refuge was betrayed by the little animals in the tree, who were 

 desirous to crawl down the stem, and, not daring to adventure on so perilous an under- 

 taking, set up a loud and pitiful mewing. 



Cats really seem to vary in their temperament as much as human beings. There are 

 refined Cats,who find their proper sphere in the drawing-room ; there are boorish Cats, 

 who are out of their element when removed from the kitchen or cellar ; there are robber 

 Cats of which the vagabond animal was an example carrying on an open system 

 of marauding ; and there are trickish Cats, who cheat their companions of their dinners. 

 In fine, there is hardly a trait of human character which does not find its representa- 

 tion in one of these animals. 



Some Cats appear to have a strong sense of honor, and will resist almost every 

 temptation when they are placed in trust. Still, some temptations appear to be so 

 powerful that the honorable feelings cannot resist them. For example, " Minnie " 

 will resist every lure except a piece of fried sole ; and " Pret " could never withstand 

 the allurements of a little jug of milk or bottled stout. She would have boldly averted 

 her head from the very same liquids if they were placed in a basin or saucer ; but the 

 little jug, into which she could just dip her paw and lick it, possessed irresistible fas- 

 cinations for her. 



That the -palate of a Cat should be pleased with milk is natural enough, be the milk 

 in jug or saucer ; but that bottled stout should delight the animal appears passing 

 strange. Yet I have known several Cats who possessed a strong taste for fermented 

 liquids, and I have seen one of these creatures eat a piece of bread soaked in pure 

 brandy, and beg earnestly for a further supply. I conclude these remarks upon the 

 Domestic Cat with an authorized account of some Normandy Cats. 



In a chateau of Normandy lived a favorite Cat, which was plentifully supplied with 

 food, and had grown fat and sleek on her luxurious fare. Indeed, so bounteously was 

 her plate supplied, that she was unable to consume the entire amount of provision 

 that was set before her. This superabundance of food seemed to weigh upon her 

 mind ; and one day, before her dinner-time, she set off across the fields, and paid a 

 visit to a little cottage near the roadside, where lived a very lean Cat. The two animals 

 returned to the chateau in company, and after the feline hostess had eaten as much 

 dinner as she desired, she relinquished the remainder in favor of her friend. 



The kind-hearted proprietor of the chateau, seeing this curious act of hospitality, 

 increased the daily allowance of meat, and afforded an ample meal for both Cats. The 

 improved diet soon exerted its beneficial effects on the lean stranger, who speedily 

 became nearly as comfortably sleek as her hostess. 



In this improved state of matters, she could not eat as much as when she was half- 

 starved and ravenous with hunger, and so after the two Cats had dined there was still 

 an overplus. In order to avoid waste, and urged by the generosity of her feelings, the 

 hospitable Cat set off on another journey, and fetched another lean Cat from a village 

 at a league's distance. The owner of the chateau, being desirous to see how the mat- 

 ter would end, continued to increase the daily allowance, and had at last, as pensioners 

 of his bounty, nearly twenty Cats, which had been brought from various houses in the 

 surrounding country. Yet, however ravenous were these daily visitors, none of them 



