Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-08-28
A QUEER BUSINESS.
The Feline Boarders Of New York and
How they are Served with their

| ~ fIt|ufh ItDOtliI Wllllt Iflt
early morning air in the region of the
deserted Battery noticed two cats, sit
ting like miniature caryatidcs, one ON
each side Of warehouse, eagerly peer
| ing around the corner and occasionally
interchanging n remark, which led him
to the belief that the cats had some
special object in so sitting and so pcering
a walk through Bridge, Stone.
| Water, Pearl, Front. and other adjacent
| warehouse streets, revealed more cats.
all evidently with some fixed purpose.
| Kittens were there. too but they dis
played none OF the lcvity commonly Mt
tachcd TO youth. Each wore the solemn
aspect of bummers. Scdately seated at
| the front doors Of their respective ware
houses. as if they were themselves the
proprietors, they looked up and down
the streets rs if awaiting the arrival of
| the postman.
The solid individuality of the cat
family, who looked after the welfare of
the great brick buildings intrustcd to
their charge, occasionally was intrudcd
upon by strange cat, of the tramp kind
! in fact, whose coat showed signs Of wear.
| but who was Of course frowned upon
and driven away by the more rcspcCta
| BILE members of the cat fraternity. who,
with misses and other feline cXplctives.
| expelled him from the ncighbor-
| hood. All down town was alive with
cats. Cats crawlcd from little square
| holes in doors; eats came out from un-
der iron grntings; cats assembled from
ncighboring housctops. where they had
been making night hidcous with their
scrcnades stray cats, who had neither a
local habitation nor n name, but who
seemed intent on something, visited the
precinct; black cats, gray cats. Maltese
cats. and every other variety of the feline
family was represented.
The cause was presently apparent
4 man in blue checked shirt, with n
heavy basket on his arm laden with
small packages of meat. came around "A
corner. At once every cat came to the
attitude attention. and presented
arms, and in many cases tails toot
From this basket the man, on meeting "A
regular boardcr, took a package of mca'
wrapped in brown paper and handed his
portion to each cat. Those who were
not regular boardcrs made spasmodic at
tcmpts In some cases TO assist the rcgu-
lar boardcr in the consumption of his
food but rs rule were unsuccessful.
The purycyor knows all his customers,
or rather his bOardcrs. lie knows that
the Maltese lives at No. ~ State street.
and if she inquiries for her breakfast nj
No. 10 lac Furnishes her by refusing TO
give her her rations. SO. too. he knows
that the huge, tawny cat who looks after
the interest Of a pork warehouse on
Bridge street has no business in Stone
street. lie has studied his boardcrs.
has them down fine and no cat now
darcs be on any other premises but his
own at breakfast hour.
In, iufarvi4ts- with tIo
whose coming the cats so impationtly
wait, and whom they fondlc, purr about.
and against whose legs they rub their
supcrtluous fur, said:
Well, | have been in this business
several years. ] manage to make about
$50 week, the actual amount varying
at different seasons Of the year. | take
out about ono hundred and fifty pounds
OF meat In the morning for delivery
among my cat family, and it's pretty
hard work, for TO say nothing Of the
job ufluggins grub around. nil the cats
in the country know me and follow me.
and ] sometimes feel as though ! was
father Of the whole cat tribe"
Rcportcr-Whom do you supply with
cats meat generally?
Purycyor-Thcrc are lots Of stores in
this neigh boThood whose occupants deal
III ltNl ~ AlAff7f lltlilN anu tAlifE fAtAFlA
matter of that description. Now ali
these stores are mostly very old. and in
/ Tested with rats. Well, the people who
occupy the stores have to keep plenty Of
cats To keep the rats down. These cats
have to be fed They amt a-going to
cut ham 10 feed the cats, and cats don't
/ like salt meat anyhow, and on Sundays
there would be no one here 10 feed them
So. rs | had read one time how men in
( London went round with carts and fed
the cats, thought | would 90 into the
business on smaller scale.
Rcportcr-What do you charge per
day for the board of a cat?
Purvcyor-rivc cents, and it's too
cheap at that. ! buy my meat away up
town. and have To buy wrapping paper
to keep the separate pieces in; and.
what's more. don't board my cats on
/ clearinghouse hash.
Reporter-You don't mean To say you
/ feed them on tcnderloin steak?
Puryeyor-Ofc course | don't give 'cm
choice cuts; but I don't feed 'em on
poor grub. don't give icm no cuttings
/ from dead animals. as they say they do
I In London and other places where cats
meat men goround. but ! give 'em good.
/ fair, decent food. varying 1t from day 10
/ day. always give 'cm fish on Friday.
/ There Is always plenty Of fish in the
market then. and it's cheaper to me than
meat on that day. and cats like fish any
how. a change Of dict Is good for cats
rs well as men
The cat in the daytime is rather agree.
able and has its uses. At night. how
ever. the case is reverse. Among the
down town warehouses, however, where
/ there are few residents and the cats
more unpleasant pcculiarities do not
| make themselves so conspicuous rs they
do In uptown yards, they are very
necessary. A downtown dealer in pro-
visions said: 1--WE .kcep six cats here.
They go on duty when we lock up. about
/ six in the evening. IT we didn't. the
rats would play high carnival. and eat
our stock so that it would be utterly un-
salable. The worst thing Is the cheese.
Rats gnaw right through the boxes.
| They seem to fancy 1t more than meat.
But we have sometimes other goods in
stock which. II it wasn't for the cats,
L Il A