Concerning Cats 



spectacle may then be seen. At this hour all the 

 terraces near the Mehkemeh are crowded with cats : 

 they come jumping from house to house across the 

 narrow Cairo streets, hurrying for their share : they 

 slide down walls and glide into the court, where they 

 dispute, with great tenacity and much growling, the 

 scanty meal so sadly out of proportion to the number 

 of guests. The old ones clear the food in a moment : 

 the young ones and the newcomers, too timid to 

 fight for their chance, must content themselves with 

 licking the ground. Those wanting to get rid of cats 

 take them there and deposit them. I have seen 

 whole baskets of kittens deposited in the court, 

 greatly to the annoyance of the neighbors." 



There are similar customs in Italy and Switzerland. 

 In Geneva cats prowl about the streets like dogs at 

 Constantinople. The people charge themselves with 

 their maintenance, and feed the cats who come to 

 their doors at the same hour every day for their 

 meals. 



In Florence, a cloister near St. Lorenzo's Church 

 serves as a refuge for cats. It is an ancient and curi- 

 ous institution, but I am unable to find whether it is 

 maintained by the city or by private charities. There 

 are specimens of all colors, sizes, and kinds, and any 

 one who wants a cat has but to go there and ask for 

 it. On the other hand, the owner of a cat who is 

 unable or unwilling to keep it may take it there, where 

 it is fed and well treated. 



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