CHAPTER VIII 



THE CAT 



Its Care 



Housing. — Cats are usually allowed the unlimited 

 freedom of the house and because of their natural 

 desire to climb are often found perched on some 

 high and narrow ledge. There are certain condi- 

 tions which must to some extent limit their range 

 of movements. They must never be allowed in 

 the room when meals are being served nor should 

 they be left alone in the kitchen when food is within 

 easy reach on the table, for cats are at heart born 

 thieves — ^necessary to their existence in the natural 

 state — ^and no matter how highly bred or well-man- 

 nered they may be, they are apt to fall into bad 

 habits if the temptation is too great. Since cats are 

 generally believed to be carriers of disease they 

 should be forbidden from the sick room and nursery. 

 While it has not been our experience that c^ts are 

 dangerous around babies, many mothers, nurses, 

 and some doctors think that the cat through jeal- 

 ousy will seek to kill the newborn infant. This is 

 hard for cat lovers to believe and is likely to be 

 ridiculed by them, but there are cases on record 

 where cats have apparently gone into the crib and 

 curled up to sleep, and by getting too close to the 

 baby's face have smothered it While I believe this 



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