378 
MAMMALIA, 
the Angora Cat, the Chinese Cat with pendant ears, and the 
tailless Malay Cat.* 
The Domestic Cat (Fig. 145) is one of those few animals which 
has remained in a state of independence in its domesticity ; it 
lives with Man, but still is not reduced to servitude. If it renders 
service, it is simply for its own interest to do so. That disin- 
Fig. 145. — Domestic Cat (Felis domestica , Briss.). 
terestedness which distinguishes the Dog we do not find in the 
Cat. Whatever Buffon and others may have said, it is capable of 
affection ; but this attachment is only manifested by infrequent 
caresses, not by devotion. Has a Cat ever been known to defend 
* The tails of Wild Cats terminate in an abrupt thick point, while the tails of 
Domestic Cats taper to a fine point. — Ed. 
