The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-12-20
a PLEA FOR PUSS.
SOME REMARKABLE INSTANCES OF FE-
LINE DEvOTION-INTELLI
OF OATS AND dogs.

Though many people have an antip-
sthy to cats and consider thcm treaCh-
erOus and cruel. there are countless
instances on record where puss has
shown the most devoted and enduring
affection for those who have kindly
treated her. Nothing can be more un-
just than to call cat cruel, seeing that
it merely seeks to provide itself with
food in the manner its instincts point
cut TO it. The artifces which it uses
are the partic1laI instincts which the
all wise Creator has giveI it in con
tOrnity with the purposes for which
it was designed. Being destined to
prey on a lively and active animal like
the mouse, which possesses so many
means Of escape, is is necessary that
il should he artful
In point of intelligence the cat has
been often unfavorably compared with
the dog and yet it can be shown that
puss is'capab!c of much natural ability.
Thus DR. SmeIlie tells of q cat that
had learned to lift the latch Of n oor:
and other tales have been related of
cats tina have been taught to ring 4
hell by harging to the brll-rope and
this anecdotc is related 10y the iIlustri-
Gus Sam Slick. of Slickyille 1t occur.
red several times that his servant en-
tered the library without having been
summoned by his master. and in all
these eases the domestic was quite
sure he had heard the bell. Great won
derment was caused by this, and the
servant began to suspect that the house
was haunted. 1t was at length noticed
that on all these mysterious occasions
the cat entered with the servant. She
was therefore watched, aud it was soon
perceived that when she found the IL
brary door shut against her. she Jump
eel on to the window-slll and thence
sprang at the bell.
Cats do not like being transplanted
from one place to another, as the fol-
lowing anecdUte will show: y family
named Shuker lived at Dawlev. in the
county Of Salop, cut had occasion to
leave and 90 TO Nottingham. They
of course removed all their household
goods. including a fine cat, which had
been in tie family for years Arriv-
ing at Nottingham. the cat showed
signs of dissatisfaction with her new
abode, and after a few davs disappear
ed. Shortly afterward .he cat walked
into the old house at Dawlev, TO the
great surprise of the neighhors IS
might be expected. she was very foot
sore and lame. When it is cons. dered
tn at the distance travelled on foot by
..,t - -. n L
over seventy miles, the feat seems very
wonderful Hundreds fiocked to see
the four footed pedestrian, and large
sums were refused hy the owner for
the favOrite.
\ family in Callander had in their
possession n favorite .Oncat, which
had Cn several occasions exhibited
more than o. dinarv sagacltv One dav
Tom male off with piece of beef, and
the servant followed him cautiously,
with the intention Of catching and adj
minlsteing to him little wholesome
correction. To her amszement she
saw the cat 90 into n corner of the
yard in which she knew a rat hole cx
listed, and lay the beef down hv the
side of it. Leaving the beet There.
puss hiG herself n short distance off
and watched until n rat made its ap-
pelrance. Toms tail then began to
wap. and just as the rat was moving
away with the bait, he sprang upon
and killed it.
A lady residing in Glasgow had a
handsome cat sent to her from Edin-
burgh; it was conveyed to her i'm a
close basket in carriage. The ami
NAL was carefully watched for two
months, but having had Il pair Of
young ones at the end of that tine size
was very soon employed in disppear-
ing with both her kittens. The lady
in Glasgow wrote to her friend in Edin-
burgh deploring her loss, and the cat
was supposed to have found some new
home. a bout n fortnight. howevcr,af-
ter her disappearance from Glasgow
her well-knOwn NEW was heard at the
street door Of her Edinburgh mistress
and there she was with both her Kit
tens; ; they very fat, she very thin. it
was clear that she could carry only
one kitten at time. The distance
from Glasgow to Edinburgh is forty
iOul hlllCS ~ IlltJ IL Sllc DGOuAu III one
kitten part of the way and then went
back for the other and thus conveyed
them alternately. she must have travel
cd one hundred and twenty miles at
least. She also must probably have
journeyed only during the night and
must have resorted to many other
precautions tOr the safety of her Young.
To lead IL cat-and dog life" means
a good deal of scratching and biting :;
but dogs and cats have been frequent
" known to get on very amicablv.
For instance, there was cat which
had formed Il warm attachment for a
Newfoundland dog: she caressed him
continually, advanced in all haste
with her tail erect when he came home:
and rubbed hey head against him. pur-
ring with delight When her shaggy
friend ! y before the Kitchen fire puss
used him rs bed, pulling up and set
tling his hair with her claws TO make
it comfoIt1ble. Her couch arranged