THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
U2 
A Mixed Family. 
BY MARY D. BARBER IN “OUR DUMB 
ANIMALS,” BOSTON. 
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb 
some day, the Bible tells us, but here is 
a story of something equally strange 
that has already happened — a cat nurs- 
ing baby squirrels — strange, because 
The little squirrels, Tip, Tim and 
Spunk, enjoyed playing with “Amber” 
the yellow kitten, but she, being larger 
and stronger than they, would some- 
times knock them down with a stroke 
of her paw and roll them over on the 
floor in an amiable tussle. But the 
squirrels were the more quick and 
active. When Tigress was standing 
MOTHER CAT WITH SINGLE KITTEN ADOPTS THREE SQUIRRELS. 
Illustration and article from “Our Dumb Animals.” 
squirrels, like rats and mice, are the 
natural prey of cats. 
This remarkable cat, “Tigress,” was 
a native of San Anselmo, California, 
where she had lived for ten years as a 
household pet in a cottage overshad- 
owed by large bay trees in which the 
gray squirrels built their nests. All 
these years she had hunted them, but 
only occasionally had she caught and 
eaten one, for they are alert, wary crea- 
tures, whose prominent, bead-like eyes 
seem to see in every direction at once. 
In May, 1919, Tigress was nursing 
her spring kitten when three baby 
squirrels, orphaned by the death of 
their mother, were saved from starva- 
tion by a boy who climbed up to their 
nest, brought them dowm and placed 
them in the bed with cat and kitten. 
Tigress instantly adopted the little 
strangers and from that moment ca- 
ressed and nursed them with the same 
tender care that she bestowed upon her 
own kitten. She took especial pride in 
licking out their long, fluffy tails, prob- 
ably thinking they were Angora kittens, 
as she was acquainted with an Angora 
cat that lived in the neighborhood. 
they liked to play a game, jumping 
over her back, each following the other 
in rapid succession, and repeating the 
act over and over like a kind of hurdle 
race. The kitten would look on envi- 
ously till the performance w r as ended, 
waiting for some amusement in which 
she could join. 
Later the foster-children caused poor 
Tigress much anxiety by their strange 
actions. The squirrels’ nature asserted 
itself ; they left their bed on the floor 
and climbed up to a high shelf beyond 
her reach. However, as soon as she 
came into the room and said, “Mew ! 
mew'” down they came to greet her. 
She was much grieved and distressed 
because they took no interest in dainty 
morsels, such as a young and tender 
mouse or gopher which she brought 
for their dinner. 
One night when Tigress returned to 
her family, one of the squirrels was 
missing. She searched the room in 
vain and finally went out of the win- 
dow and disappeared in the darkness. 
An hour later in she jumped, having 
found the lost baby, carrying it care- 
fully in her mouth. 
After a couple of months this happy 
