IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 43 
I must say that cats have been awfully slandered. They are 
called cruel and treacherous, but I'm sure nothing can be more 
meek and patient than a respectable family cat. She will allow 
rude boys to teaze her, too affectionate girls to squeeze the life out 
of her, and even baby's fat fingers to poke open her eyes, and pull 
her tail, and never show a claw. 
I don't know why she should be called cruel because she kills 
birds to eat. Is it any more cruel, I want to know, for poor hungry 
Puss to kill a bird for her dinner, than for cook to kill a chicken for 
your dinner ? 
She is called suspicious. Who — I'd like to know — has better 
cause to be suspicious ? Isn't she considered fair game to torture 
and kill, not only by dogs — but by bad boys? 
She is called a thief. I never saw a well fed cat that was a 
thief; of course if she's half starved she'll help herself, and so will 
a dog. And how are they to know any better I'd like to know? 
Who ever tries to teach them not to steal, except by boxing their 
ears, and then maybe they don't know what it's for. 
Pussy is a perfect lady in all she does — except the way of 
getting her dinner that I spoke of. She is nice and tidy enough 
for a model to careless children. Who ever saw a family cat with 
mud on her — like a dog, or with fur all roughed up, or with wet 
feet? Then she is fond of perfumes ; if you don't believe it, try her 
with a perfumed handkerchief. I'm sure you've seen her go into 
ecstacies over a piece of cat mint. She also likes a soft cushion to 
He on — which shows her good sense, I'm sure. 
To be sure, Pussy does sing unpleasantly loud, and dreadfully 
dismal tunes in the night, but it's no more disagreeable than the 
irritating bark or dismal howl of a dog. And there's even seme 
excuse for it, too. When else — will you tell me — can she have a 
nice quiet sing, except when people are safely in bed, and wagons 
are still? What chance would she have of a peaceful time, if she 
should start it in the day time? 
I could give you a long string of names, of great and famous 
men who have been very fond of Pussy. There was Mahomet who 
was so fond of his cat Muezza, that once when she was sleeping on 
his sleeve, and he wished to get up, he cut off the sleeve rather 
than disturb her. And Andria Doria — one of the rulers of Venice 
— who not only had a portrait painted of his pet cat, but when she 
died he had her skeleton preserved as a treasure. 
