32 Pussy Meow 
the lady, “ I saw enough table scraps thrown into 
the garbage can each day to make a feast for that 
poor cat, and not one of the good people ever gave 
her a thought.” 
Speaking of ministers reminds me of a gentle- 
man that called on mistress one evening, and as I 
happened to be lying on the library table, they fell 
to talking about me, and about cats and dogs gen- 
erally. 
“ It’s all right,” said the gentleman, “ for people 
that can afford it, to have pets. But in my experi- 
ence in visiting among all classes of people, some- 
how wherever I find a big family of half-fed and 
neglected children there are sure to be in the same 
home one or more cats or dogs, and sometimes 
both ; and of course, the food that is given to them 
ought by rights to go to the children. But the 
worst of it is, these people seem to think as much 
of their cats and dogs as they do of their children.” 
“ That is an unintended compliment,” said mis- 
tress, “ which proves the softening and humanizing 
effect of these pets upon those with whom they as- 
sociate. And certainly, this more than makes up 
for the few little extra morsels that they require for 
their maintenance.” 
