THE CAT TO-DAY 261 



the little girl's ears, — after which she returned to 

 her slumbers. 



Instances of friendship among cats — as that 

 charming bond of intimacy which united Mou- 

 moutte Blanche and Moumoutte Chinoise — are 

 very rare. The dog, it is said, lives contentedly 

 without companions of his own species, because 

 his all-absorbing affection for his master satisfies 

 the desires of his heart. He has been well termed 

 the friend of man. But nobody would dream of 

 calling Pussy the friend of man. She is nothing 

 of the kind ; yet neither is she the friend of other 

 pussies. Two cats will live for years under the 

 same roof, without vulgar jealousy or coarse con- 

 tention, but also without any approach to confi- 

 dential intercourse. If one of them has a fancy 

 for companionship, she will " take up " with a 

 horse, — her favourite animal, especially if he be 

 thoroughbred. Many racers have had warm friend- 

 ships with cats, and the famous stallion, Godolphin, 

 lived for years on terms of the closest intimacy with 

 a black cat, who, it is stated, pined away with grief 

 after his death. Failing horses. Pussy has been 

 known to entertain herself with the society of a 

 dog, a chicken, a rabbit, any alien thing rather than 

 one of her own reserved race. Cats living in 

 zoological gardens have formed erratic attach- 

 ments for elephants, — big, gentle beasts, depressed 



