The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-01-23
Fyom the New York Quarterly.
Reasoning Cats.

Scu'hey, iu his " Doctor" gives a Gu.
rious chapter upon the cats Of his ac-
quaintance--- a chapter in which humor
al d natural history are agrecahly min
cled together to Tas evidently close
observer of the habits Of poor puss. and
took much delight in her whims. frolcs
and rcculiaritie1.~ Pruofs Of the domes-
tication and strong attach ment Of the cat
might be adduccd aI n0aScom. The
story Of ~ Somnin aud lis favoritc cat
may Le rccolected. as a case in point
This animal" he writes. was my prin-
cipal amusement for several years how
wildly was the expression Of her attach.
mcnt depicted upon hor countcnauce
how many times have her tender carcss-
cs made me forget my troubles; auG con
solcd me in my misfortunes Ny beau
,iful and Interesting companion at length
per-: 4 after several DAYS of suffering,
during which | never forscok her her
eyes, constantly fixed on me, were at
length ex;inguished and her loss has
rent my heart with grief" Among the
admirers Of the sleek and gentle cat may
be mentioned Mohammed. RQusaenu.P%-
not how many other iIlustrious names
Madame IIelvetius had flvorite cat
which at the death Of her mistress, wan.
hlred about her chamber. mewing most
liteou>ly, and after the body was con-
>izned to the grave it was found stretched
upon the tomb lfcless, having expired
from excess Of grief The Earl Of South
- umpton- companion of Essex in the fatal
Notwithstanding been coufued some
time in the Tower,was one day surprised
Dy visit from his pet cat. which is said
to have reached its master by descending
the chimney Of his apartment. The .ol-
lowing auecdote of combined attachment
aud sagacity, rivals anything that has
been told of the dog, and places poor
pussy in a much moro favorable light
than current opinion would allow. In
the summer Of 800, a physician Of Ly-
ons was requested to inquire into mur-
der that had been committed on awo.
man Of that city. lie accordingly went
! to the residence of the deceased where
he found her extended lifclcss on the
floor, weltcring in her blood \ large
/ white cat ;ras n ouutod on the cornice of
! the cupboard at the further end of the
apartment, where he seemed to have Ia
ken refuge lie sat motionlcss, with his
eyes fixed on the corpse, and his attitude
and looks expressing horror aud alright
The following morning the animal was
found in precisely ly the same state; and
when the room was filed with the officers
of Justice. lie still remained, apparently
trausfxed to the spot As soon. howev.
er, AS the suspected parties were brought
iu, his eyes glared with increased fury,
his hair bristled and be darted precipi-
lately from the room The countenauces
Of the assassius were disconnected, and
they now, for The first time during the
whole course Of the horrid transaction,
felt their atrocious audAcity forsake
them.
We might instance cases in which the
reasoning process was evidently exhibit
ed but let the following, related by DE-,
Smeliie, in which ingenuity of perform
ance was combined with sagacity, suffice;
-" \ cat frequentcd closet, the door
Of which was fastened By a common iron
latch a window was situated near the
door: when the door was shut, the cat
gave herself no uncasinea9, Tor so soon
as she was tired of her confinement, she
mounted on the sill of tho window, and
with her paws dexterously lifted The
latch and came out This practice she
continued for years" Many instance.
of the kind are upon record and we per
sonally know Of one, in which a cat hav
ing been neglected at the regular dinner
hour, which was usually accompanied by
the ringing of a bell, would agitate the
bell-wire. The sogacity of the feline
race is so clearly evinced in the follow
ing auecdote, that we caunot help repeat
ing it," Mr. Tiodemann, the fanou,
Saxon dentist, had valuable tortoise
shell cat, that did nothing for days bu
moan. Guessing the cause, he looked in
to its mouth and seeing decayed tooth
soon relieved it of its pain. The follow
ing day there were at least ten cats a
his door-thc day after, twenty an,
they went on increasing at such rat,
that ho was obliged to keep a bulldog t,
drive them away. But, nothing woulc
help them. A cat who had the tooth
! ache would come any number of miles t,