Concerning Cats 



must reason by ' the logic of feelings,' — If a hand can 

 do it, why not a paw ? Then, strongly moved by the 

 idea, she makes the first trial. The steps which fol- 

 low have not been observed, so we cannot certainly 

 say whether she learns by a succession of trials that 

 depression of the thumb-piece constitutes the essen- 

 tial part of the process, or, perhaps more probably, 

 that her initial observations supplied her with the 

 idea of clicking the thumb-piece; but however this 

 may be, it is certain that the pushing with the hind 

 feet after depressing the latch must be due to adap- 

 tive reasoning, unassisted by observation, and only by 

 the concerted action of all her limbs in the perform- 

 ance of a highly complex and most unnatural move- 

 ment is her final purpose attained." 



Other cats have been known to lift knockers and 

 ring door-bells. A stray kitten which we took in and 

 fed used to come to the front door and, stretching up 

 its full length, rattle the door-knob to attract atten- 

 tion, when somebody would let him in. None of our 

 own cats used this knob, so that he must have rea- 

 soned it out for himself in some way. Thomas Eras- 

 tus, in going over to our neighbor's and rattling her 

 screen door in a way which makes it sound exactly 

 like a person rapping, is another instance ; naturally 

 some one opens the door expecting to see a human 

 being, when Thomas Erastus walks calmly in and 

 makes a friendly call. This action betokens a good 

 degree of reasoning and observation, as his manipula- 



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