Concerning Cats 



severe whipping. They are very delicately organ- 

 ized about the head and ears, and lasting injury may 

 be done them. They will understand the meaning 

 of a switching about the ears or paws just as well as 

 a severe whipping. 



In teaching cats tricks, begin with simple ones, 

 like holding your hands together close to the floor, 

 with the cat inside, and inducing him to jump over ; 

 then, by gradually increasing the distance of your 

 hands from the floor, he may be taught to take the 

 highest jumps. Whatever else you desire to teach 

 him must be done with infinite patience and gentle- 

 ness, showing him over and over again what you 

 want done. A dog may be taught tricks by means 

 of scoldings and whippings : a cat never. And it is 

 not of the slightest use to attempt to teach a kitten 

 tricks unless he is fond of and has faith in you. 



With regard to the training of cats {i.e. teaching 

 them tricks) more than "the patience of Job" is 

 required. Herr Techow of Germany has had the 

 most wonderful success in this line, as all who have 

 seen his troop of trained cats can testify. Herr 

 Techow's cats jump through hoops of fire; they 

 jump over one another on the tight rope, thus ami- 

 cably solving the problem that worried the man and 

 bear across the canyon. They walk on their front 

 feet and on many strange pieces of apparatus in 

 queer, wonderful ways. Furthermore, they regard 

 existence from a new point of view, and look with 



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