Concerning Cats 



found herself accidentally shut up in a cell. Left, 

 perforce, dinnerless until the tenant of the cell came 

 back from the refectory, she went, as soon as she did 

 escape, to look for her allowance. There was nothing 

 left for her. In the course of the afternoon the 

 monks were startled by a pertinacious sounding of 

 their dinner bell. Pussy swung on the bell-rope, 

 ringing for her dinner." 



All my cats, living in a household of women, are 

 inclined to be afraid of men, and especially of boys ; 

 they consider them a strange and undesirable species 

 of biped, to be shunned on every possible occasion, 

 with the exception of Thomas Erastus, who loves 

 several men devotedly. That this sentiment of fear 

 on their part is inspired by the difference in clothing 

 the extremities adopted by the two sexes, is proved 

 by the following incident, which is absolutely true : 

 On one occasion we entertained as guests for a week 

 two ladies and two boys of ten and twelve years, 

 respectively. Our cats liked both the ladies, with 

 the exception of Lady Betty, who approved only of 

 the one whose size and complexion corresponded 

 with our own, while she would not go near the small 

 brunette. None of them would stay in the same 

 room with the boys, although they were nice little 

 fellows, and wanted to befriend the cats ; that is, as 

 long as they wore the knee-breeches and stockings 

 of their kind ; but at night, as soon as the boys had 

 discarded those objectionable garments and became, 



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