The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-09-26
For the Girls and Boys,
From the Child's Friend.
THEC At.

n worth willie t0 write about cats? They are
only domestic tigers; they are trencherous
creatures: no one can trust them. Tho chrs
hrart is radically bud they were made to be
tenseh 10y boys aud To catch rats ana nice;
yhcre IL no good in.thcm." Now II they are
nver so bad, we deny they ought ever to nc
gensed; none hut tho mennest spirited hoy
will ever he found tormenting eat or any
other animal. When human heinS unnec-
nssnriIy hurts All animal, he it ever so low III
the scale of Coils works, the animal Is The
highest being of the two; but 10 such children
l am not now writing; am speaking to chill
,ren, who would do right to all, but have 4
cruel prejudice against the poor cats and |
intend to treat the subject with as much ser-
ousltess and respect, AS iflwcro writing n
tout any of my fellow creatures who were
injured Ivy what | consider an unjust prcJu-
dice.
We take il for granted that cats have no
love in them, and so wc never act towards
thon as if they had any; now | believe they
have pretty good hearts in tho main, and If
they were treated with Justice and kindness
would be far more respectable members OF
society. As evidence that have some ren-
son Cor my faith, will mention some facts
have heard, and some which have witness
ed about cats
In the first place, the cat is accused ofnev-
or cnriug for the inhabitants ola house, but
only for the house itself. This il not always
true orthcm, for knew as ailectionate cat
who manifested much disturbance at the pre-
Iarations for moving, at last all was moved
cxccnt herselfund the cook; the cook in or
der to make sure that she should not escape
from the carriage in which she was going to
remove her, put her into II cage aud fastened
her in When she arrived at the house, the
eat walked quietly ont of her cnSo, looked Mt
her old friend the cook, went into another
room where she met another friend, and be-
.can forthwith to purr her satisfaction. Two
years afterwards this family moved again:
rs soon rs the cat saw the preparation MAX
ing for moving she showed great uneasiness
and went down into the cellar where she re-
maincd during all the confusion; when all eIse
was gone, her old friend the cook went to the
cellar and called her, she came up directly;
she strokcd her and showed her basket just
Dig enough to hold her, aud said TO her, "Gct
IN, pussy, and tallea pretty rides" the cat got
an and allowed herself without the least resis-
I nee to he tied down into the basket by cloth
placed over it; and MS soon rs she saw the dill
i;.rent members ofthc family in the new house
sho manifested her contenment. The fani-
" moved again in six months; she again sui
mittcd herself and showed her preference 10
her friends to the house they lived in.
A cat has been known to nurse and bring
up a rat with her own kittens. | once took II
little rabbit who was starving to death from
the neglect of its own mother, and placed il
before this cat who preferred the people TO the
house She had Just como from nursing her
kittens, and when she saw the little trembling
rabbit before her, her first thought was cvi
tIently to make Il good meal oft; but took
up the little thing and carrcsscd it, and then
put it down again; she now approached it III
IA motherly way and looked M it; its cars
seemed evidently to puzzle her; after awhile
she tried to take il up rs she did her kittens,
but saw she could not safely: then she went to
her nest aud mcwcd, and then came TO me
nj rubbed hersclfaguinst me; and then Went
aud licked the rabbit; now venture to put
the rabbit in with her kittens, and she nurscd
it and took the best care it,
A friend of mine who killed squirrel not
knowing that she had young ones, took NIL the
Young ones and brought them into the house,
and put them before his pet cat who had lost
all her kittens but one: she looked at them for
while; probably her catfish nature thought
little of eating them; but her better nature
soon prevailed, for one after another she took
them and carried them all to her nest, aud
proved a faithful nursing mother othem, and
ere long there was no part of the house in
which the old cat and her roguish adopted
children were not to be found.
What will not cats submit to from II loving
child? have seen child lie down with Il
eat for its pillow, and the cat merely moved
hcrsclfa little as to bear the weight as east
" as possible. A cat can he taught To stand
and walk upon her hind legs, which seems al
first very disagrecnblc to her, hya child it loves
remember when was child seeing NAL
tese cat come in every morning and wait TIL
my father had finished his breakfast and then
g.. l.l.. 4 a l..
hind legs and beg for hers, and take INST what
was given her with the utmost propricty, ask
ing for nothing more.
will tell you well authenticated ancc.
dote of the cat read of the other day. A cal
had been brought up in close friendship will
bird which, as we all know, is the favortt
food of the cat. One day, however, she was
Sc IN TO suddenly seize and hold in her claws
her feathered companion, who happened to
be out of hor cage. The first thought of
those who saw her was, that at last her tiger
nature had come out, and that sho was going
to make meal other little trusting friendbu
all the cat did was simply to hold the tremb
ling bird still and on looking round the room
it was discovered that another cat had enter
cd the room, and this alarming act was only
the means the friendly cat used to save the
bird till the intruder should leave the ROOM
AS soon as the other cat was gone, she let &c
the bird, who it was found was not in the
least injured.
One more story ola cat. A cat which hac
been pette,l and always kindly treated by
family ofchidren, was present one day whor
the mother thought it necessary to strike on,
of them for some bad action; the cat flew vi
olently at the mother and tried to scratch hel
and from that time she never could strike one
of herchdren with impunity in the presence
of their faithfiIl loving friend ..s
a friend related to me that they had ca
in her fathers family who was u great favor