TAME RATS. 
35 
to devour it ; that done, the performance concluded by their 
hanging the stuffed cat, and dancing right merrily round it. 
At Rociiester, some few years ago, a singular inci- 
dent occurred. The landlords of the Victualling Office 
Tavern had a beautiful tortoisesheli cat, the admiration of 
every one who came to the house. One day she kittened, 
and all the kittens were di*owned. The poor cat felt the 
loss of her sucklings, and was whining and mewing all over 
the place in evident distress, but no notice was taken of 
her. But some few days after, some of the children came 
across her nest, and saw her in the act of suckling what 
they thought to be a young kitten. They mentioned 
the circumstance at the dinner-table, and were laughed at 
for their trouble ; but upon their insisting on the fact, 
it created some curiosity, and a search was the result, 
when, to their great surprise, they found the cat suckling, 
not a kitten, but a young rat ! !N'ow it was quite clear 
that the poor cat had been in extreme pain from an 
overcharge of milk, and meeting with the young rat, had 
fondled it up, and from its giving her ease by drawing her 
milk, her attachment had grown as strong for the rat as for 
one of her own progeny, which was afterwards manifested 
to the great delight of numerous customers. If a strange 
dog came in the house, she would defend the rat with all the 
vicious determination of her nature ; and even after he had 
grown up a line, strong fellow, he would, in time of danger, 
run to her for protection. This curious circumstance spread 
far and wide, and proved a great attraction to the house ; for 
the rat was as tame as a kitten, and would allow any of the 
children or customers to nurse and play with it. But, how- 
ever, to the great sorrow of the landlords and their patrons, 
a traveller one day called, and, in the absence of the cat, his 
dog killed poor Master Rat. This was not only a pitiable 
affair, but a great loss to the landlords ; for there is no doubt 
but many a man has made his fortune by a far less pleasing 
and remarkable phenomenon in nature. 
At the railway stables at Wolverhampton, there was a cat 
■which had a litter of five kittens. Three of the kittens were 
drowned shortly after their birth, and the cat seemed much 
distressed at their disappearance. She soon after, however, 
discovered a rat's nest with a large litter of young ones, upon 
D 2 
