MEDICAL AND SURGICAL TREATMENT. 375 



Another cat having a sick kitten apparently dying, after 

 doing all she could for it without avail, at last laid it in her 

 mistress's lap, the result being its ultimate restoration to 

 health, and the mother cat's gratitude therefor (Wood). 

 Incidents of such a kind the seeking of ivoman's aid in the 

 nursing of sick puppies or kittens are by no means un- 

 common in mother dogs and cats. Nor is it unusual for 

 bitches to bring their pups for man's inspection or admira- 

 tion : maternal solicitude operating in the one case, maternal 

 pride in the other. 



A cat having been cured of diarrhoea by her mistress, 

 brought her kittens for similar treatment for the same com- 

 plaint, * the cat standing by, evidently with full faith in 

 my healing powers,' while the corrective food was being 

 administered. Another cat having been cured of mange, 

 brought others affected with the same disease to be similarly 

 treated ('Animal World '). 



A fourth cat that had accidentally poisoned itself, e came 

 in a pitiful state of pain to seek its mistress's help. The fever 

 and heat were so great that it dipped its own paws into 

 a pan of water, an almost unheard-of proceeding in a 

 water-hating cat' (Wood). Here we have an illustration 

 of self-treatment in fever ; but this subject of self-treatment, 

 medical, surgical, and obstetrical, falls to be discussed 

 in the following chapter, as does also the recognition by 

 various animals of the diseases to which they are themselves 

 liable. 



There are many instances of military, or other horses, 

 ponies, and mules betaking themselves of their own accord 

 to blacksmiths' smithies for the purpose of having their feet 

 re- shod, or nails extracted, or to hospitals for the treatment 

 of wounds. Thus, we are told of a pony that had cast a shoe 

 galloping to a blacksmith's forge with its rider on its back, 

 and in spite of said rider (Wood). In most, if not all, of 

 such cases, the animals had previously been in the habit of 

 being taken to the ' smiddy,' or hospital, by their grooms or 

 masters ; they must have known why they were so taken, and 

 they must have reasoned on the connection between losing a 

 shoe, getting a nail impacted, or suffering a wound, and then 



