Concerning Cats 



without a motion of the risible muscles. The cat's 

 smile means satisfaction." 



An error about cats, and a truly vulgar one, is that 

 they lie on young children's breasts and suck their 

 breath or suffocate them. Cats like to lie on the lap 

 or breast of a person they love, and are apt to show 

 their happiness by now and then lifting their heads 

 for a kiss or gently touching the face or neck above 

 them with their paw : this sort of patting or stroking 

 a beloved cheek or throat is one of the more human 

 habits which dogs have not. Jane used to wake up 

 in the night and come to my pillow to kiss me, 

 although she sometimes contented herself with gaz- 

 ing fondly down at me and purring in a low, con- 

 tented fashion. Then, too, cats are luxurious and 

 fond of warmth, and may sometimes share a baby's 

 crib or cradle for that reason, as dogs certainly do. 



A truly remarkable story of sagacity is told of an 

 old Cambridge (Mass.) cat: although where, in all 

 America, would we expect to find cultured cats if not 

 in that historic town .? This cat rejoices in the seem- 

 ingly appropriate name of John Harvard. When 

 John was a kitten, famed for his beauty and good 

 temper, the family adored him not only for his mental 

 and moral qualities, but for his proud, historic name ; 

 but when one day John Harvard presented his owners 

 with a litter of kittens, it was seriously thought that 

 John must be disposed of. Steps were being taken 

 to that effect, when one day John left her litter of 



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